GOP lawmakers in both chambers are calling on Senate Democrats to back a $1.1 billion Zika funding measure, arguing it’s irresponsible not to act in the face of a looming health crisis.
The Zika conference committee report, which cannot be amended, fell short of the 60 votes necessary to advance the legislation in late June, but is once again being pulled to the floor for a vote Thursday – just before Congress leaves for its seven-week recess.
Health experts, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Tom Frieden, who testified at a hearing Wednesday, warned of the gravity of the situation, saying “we must act swiftly to track and respond to the Zika virus, both domestically and globally.”
The virus, which is primarily spread though mosquitoes, has been linked to serious birth defects.
Democrats are refusing to get behind the bill, arguing they can’t support the measure due to language provisions blocking Planned Parenthood funding and lessening EPA restrictions easing the use of pesticides to kill mosquitoes.
“Democrats used to say that Zika was an imminent threat. Now they’re threatening to extend their filibuster of the funding we need to fight Zika and protect women’s health,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday during a floor speech. “Why? It’s seems clear enough. They think dysfunction works well for them politically, so they’re trying to manufacture some regardless of who gets hurt in the process.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan has repeatedly called on the Senate to pass the measure, arguing Democrats are putting party politics ahead of a potentially catastrophic public health crisis.
“Senate Democrats have a simple choice: they can either help us pass a common-sense $1.1 billion package to protect Americans from Zika, or they can go home without acting,” Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong told The Daily Caller News Foundation Wednesday. “We hope they make the right decision. Either way, they’ll be accountable to their constituents.”
The House started formal talks with the Senate in May and passed the$1.1 billion in funding last month.
In total, $1.2 billion would be allotted toward Zika. The House passed the Zika Response Appropriations Act in May, providing an additional $622 million, which would be coupled with $589 million in existing funds the administration has approved to be allocated for research.
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