Senate Republicans on Tuesday again failed to get the 60 votes they needed for legislation that prevented any federal money from going to Planned Parenthood as the price for funding efforts to combat Zika. Congress is not in session for enough days before the election to give it the time to hammer out a long term funding plan, especially in light of the intra-party divisions.
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Basically, senate democrats blocked a 1.1 billion dollar bill to fight the Zika virus because this same bill passed by the House included other items democrats just couldn’t wrap their heads around.
Democrats in Congress hope to finalize a government funding bill before the next president takes office in January.
Zika in U.S. Territories (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands) includes 14,059 locally acquired cases and 51 travel-associated cases.
In addition, CDC officials are reporting 624 pregnant women have tested positive for the Zika virus, and 16 babies have been born in the USA with birth defects linked to the illness.
A new study has found genetic fragments of Zika in the eyes and the tears of laboratory mice with the virus, a discovery scientists suggest may offer new understanding into how the disease is transmitted.
“Basically, we’ve run out”, Frieden said of the $222 million Congress previously allocated to fight the virus.
This time pressure has many, including Sen.
Sen. Marco RubioMarco RubioGOP drops hints in budget showdown Rubio: Drop Planned Parenthood fight to approve Zika funding Trump: I’m polling higher than some Republicans MORE (R-Fla.) is endorsing a plan to save the much-disputed public health package by wrapping it into the stopgap spending bill that’s due in Congress by September 30.
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Tuesday that he thinks it would make sense to combine the budget and Zika talks.
The news comes as Congress returns from their seven-week summer recess and promptly entered into a gridlock related to Zika funding. What’s clear is tensions are boiling. Nelson said he wants Zika funding and will consider anything, including offsets in a compromise bill, but not the Republican political riders.
The opposition to a lame-duck spending deal in the House is being led by the approximately 40-member House Freedom Caucus with the backing of several prominent conservative groups. The two sides attempted to overcome the disagreement, but Republicans made a decision to craft their own bill after talks dragged on for weeks.
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Beyond that, there are other high-priority items on the agenda, such as approving funds to combat the mosquito-borne Zika virus, and defense policy legislation that determines how much is spent on the nation’s military. It marked the third time the Senate voted on – and rejected – the measure.
