The bill would exclude Planned Parenthood from the list of providers that receive new funding for contraception to combat the spread of the virus. USA lawmakers are mired in a political logjam over $1.1 billion in funding to address Zika as the Senate prepares to possibly consider legislation as soon as next week.
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But Republican National Committee spokesperson Ninio Fetalvo says Kaine’s call to end recess in order to vote on Zika funding, but then not appearing for Tuesday’s vote is “hypocritical”. The House bill failed when it went back to the Senate, where the vote on Tuesday was 52-46, short of the 60 votes that were required. “This is the third time now the Democrats have had an opportunity to vote on that issue and obviously they chose the special interests that they have who have their ear, and that they’re beholden to instead of the moms and babies around this country who are looking for some relief”.
Previously, Pelosi had insisted that Congress give the Obama administration the full $1.9 billion it requested to fight the epidemic, but on Wednesday she just stressed that whatever Congress does it “has to be for a year”.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen cares more about funneling taxpayer money to Planned Parenthood than she does about stopping the spread of the Zika virus. “Can’t make that stuff up – that’s really the truth – than protecting women and babies from this very bad virus”, said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. “They tried to disguise the fact that they wanted to eliminate Planned Parenthood”. They said a House vote would come sometime after that. The Zika virus can cause severe, debilitating and often fatal birth defects. In May, the Senate voted 89-8 to put $1.1 billion into the effort. “Congress needs to act and it needs to act now”.
Federal funds keeping agencies open expire September 30. Even Florida’s Republican governor has said the need for Zika funding is urgent. Many conservatives oppose a temporary extension until only December, when a post-election, lame-duck Congress could make final decisions on next year’s budget.
“Let’s stop this monkey business”, Nelson said, on the Senate floor. That includes 624 pregnant women affected by Zika in the 50 states and 971 more in territories.
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“Zika is now well established in the United States with cases of local transmission by mosquitoes being reported in multiple areas of Florida, as well as the US territories”, the senators wrote.
