Lawmakers would have roughly three weeks to reach a deal on fighting the Zika virus ahead of the October 1 deadline to keep the government funded.
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“We can’t neglect that any longer”, Cornyn said. “And in the coming months we can continue to look forward to making more progress”.
Republicans could be on the electoral hook if Congress fails to approve funding and the crisis gets worse. Election-year politics will rule the congressional calendar when lawmakers return from a seven-week recess.
Frieden said the urgency has only grown since lawmakers last considered the issue in July. Dozens of Zika cases have been confirmed in the political battleground state of Florida since lawmakers departed, and Republicans and Democrats are expected to revive the fight nearly immediately upon their return.
Researchers are still searching for a cure and a treatment. “These purely partisan delaying tactics are stopping the release of additional resources for women’s health care, Zika vaccine research, and mosquito control for two months”.
It is still unclear how Congress will break the impasse over Zika. Last year, GOP House leaders passed a bill as part of an agreement with the Democrats which was not well-received by many conservatives.
The two sides will likely need to go back to the drawing board before the end of the month.
Some conservatives said Wednesday they might support a short-term spending bill into December in exchange for language blocking money to resettle Syrian refugees in the United States, language opposed by most Democrats. “Why not spend what it takes now to prevent it from happening at all?” Complicating the politics of this issue, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has said that funding for Zika programs could run out by the end of the month. “It went to the House and they sent it back with all of this unusual, weird stuff in it”, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Tuesday.
Congress returns Tuesday after a seven week recess and will face an end of September deadline to fund the government and prevent a shutdown.
While shutdown showdowns – or the threat of them – have roiled Congress at several points in recent years, lawmakers are highly unlikely to allow that to happen this fall. “No one should doubt the gravity of the threat or the long-term health consequences of failing to get our work done”. Supporters are hoping there could be action in the “lame duck” session after the election and before the new Congress next year.
“We are not doing anything into next year”. Republicans have also announced they will hold hearings on the payment. That hasn’t stopped some Republican senators from sticking to custom and meeting privately with Garland.
The impact of a split 4-4 high court is already being felt in Washington. The first locally transmitted case of Zika was identified in Florida, and the count is now close to three dozen. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters Tuesday that while the IRS made “real mistakes”, there are “different beliefs” Republicans must resolve about whether impeachment is the proper course. Republican critics of the transaction say it was a ransom deal.
The stalemate has legislative leaders considering adding the money to whatever massive spending bill is required to keep the government running after the fiscal year ends September 30.
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Senate democrats unanimously voted against ending the debate, cementing the bill’s fate.
