[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 81 (Monday, May 23, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3040-S3041]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ZIKA VIRUS
Mr. REID. Madam President, last Friday, as he should, President Obama
gave the Nation an update on the fight against Zika, this virus that
has become such a difficult issue to face.
Here are the facts, as outlined by President Obama and reported by
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: As we speak, there are
more than 500 confirmed cases of Zika in the continental United States.
There are at least 800 confirmed cases of infection in Puerto Rico, and
most experts believe the actual number is significantly higher. There
are 279 pregnant women in the continental United States and territories
who are being monitored for possible Zika infection. We have yet to
confirm any local transmission from Zika-carrying mosquitoes in the
continental United States.
Remember, we have had an unseasonably cold spring. That means that a
mosquito with Zika has not yet infected anyone on the mainland. But the
public health experts tell us that is going to change as soon as it
warms up, and it is nearing the warmup time now. It is only when the
warm weather hits that the mosquitoes become active, and they really
become active. These pests are capable of transmitting Zika and are in
39 States. Residents of our Nation's most populated cities--such as New
York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston--could be at risk of infection.
This map says it all. There are some places where there is only one
type of mosquito, and, of course, the worst is the blue, as shown on
the map. But there are places where there is a mixture of mosquitoes.
There are two kinds of mosquitoes that cause a problem. It is spread
to people primarily through the body of an infected mosquito. But look
where it goes--from Maine to Texas, even reaching into Northern
California, Las Vegas, and we see red up there, in Boulder, CO. So it
is a concern, a real concern.
For pregnant women, contracting Zika could mean devastating birth
defects for their children, as we know, with these tiny little heads
and underdeveloped brains and collapsed skulls.
For others, the dangers of Zika range from possible nervous system
disorders and potential paralysis to minor symptoms such as rashes and
fever like the flu. This is the threat that Republicans in Congress
have been ignoring for many months now.
Back in February--we are fast approaching June. In February,
President Obama sent an emergency appropriations request to Congress
for almost $2 billion--$1.9 billion is the exact figure--to fight Zika.
It wasn't some number that he picked out of a hat. This is a figure
that researchers, public health experts, and doctors explicitly
requested, and $1.9 billion is what our country needs. That is the
number that I support and Democrats support. Anything less than that is
simply not enough.
Republicans did nothing in response to the President's request,
letting weeks and weeks go by as the number of infected Americans grew.
Because of Republicans' refusal to allocate Zika funding, President
Obama had to act. He did the only thing he could do: He used $510
million in Ebola money to fight the spread of Zika.
[[Page S3041]]
It was 18 months ago that we were first hit with the Ebola scare. It
was a scare--and rightfully so. We were panicked about Ebola. Americans
had been infected with this awful disease. But the only thing we could
do was to do more to find out how we could stop it with a vaccine and
with other treatments. It takes money to do that. But to take more than
half a billion dollars of Ebola money and fight the spread of Zika is
taking from Peter to pay Paul.
What choice did President Obama have? They were ignoring his pleas
for help. Now that they can no longer ignore Zika, Republicans in
Congress are reluctantly going through the motions of providing
funding. As my friend the Republican leader said, we have taken care of
Zika here on the floor--how wrong, how misleading. The Senate agreed to
provide $1.1 billion--about half of what President Obama requested. But
everyone knows that is not going to do the trick because that money is
not going to be coming until sometime this fall.
To make matters worse, the Senate-passed $1.1 billion package would
do nothing to pay back the Ebola money. It would pay back a tiny
fraction of the $510 million in Ebola funds that are so necessary to
continue the work on Ebola. The Senate's $1.1 billion is also wrapped
up in the appropriations process.
Appropriations bills take months to get done. By the time it gets to
the President's desk, it will be fall. We will know by then how much
damage has been done because of the Republicans' inability and refusal
to help us with that money. The American people should not have to wait
that long. That is why Senate Democrats have repeatedly come to the
floor and asked that we move to a Zika funding package as a stand-alone
bill, separating from the very slow and tedious appropriations process.
But each time, Republican leadership has objected. Senate Republicans
don't want to expedite the issue. They would prefer that our response
to Zika be wrapped up in a drawn-out appropriations process. Our Nation
cannot afford the unnecessary delay.
House Republicans could not even pass a budget. Now we are depending
on them to pass an appropriations bill before we do anything on Zika.
They don't have a budget. These are the same House Republicans who last
week passed legislation to give President Obama a third--$622 million--
of what the President asked. In fact, it is a little less than a third.
Guess what. Guess where they are going to get that money. They are
going to take it by raiding more Ebola money. Our Nation has spent the
last 2 years fighting Ebola. But although we have been successful in
responding to Ebola, it remains a threat. We do not have the ability to
handle that disease.
Last week, the White House reported that CDC officials in West Africa
are processing 10,000 new Ebola samples a month. We can't afford to
drop our guard on Ebola. That is what the Republicans are telling us to
do. If we take these funds away from our Nation's response to the Ebola
virus and we use them instead to underfund our response to Zika, we are
ensuring that our defenses against both are inadequate. That is
irresponsible and terribly dangerous.
I don't understand the Republicans' refusal to take Zika seriously.
Why do they refuse to listen to the experts who tell us they need the
full $1.9 billion to be able to fight this devastating virus? It is as
if the Republicans are betting that Zika will not be a disaster--like
the horse race we had in Baltimore on Saturday. This is not a bet. It
is as if they are betting against all the experts at the CDC and NIH
who say the Zika virus is a real threat to Americans. They are saying
it is a real threat to Americans because it is. Instead of gambling
with the health and safety of millions of Americans, Republicans should
give our Nation the money it needs to fight Zika, and they should do it
now--not next month, not in the fall but now.
As the President said on Friday, we in Congress should not leave for
the Memorial Day break without having taken care of this issue. He is
so right. We have been on record for weeks saying the same thing. We
don't need more time off. We already hold the record for working less
time. This Senate is working less time than any Congress in the last
six or seven decades. We don't need more time off. So next week, rather
than taking some time off, let's get the legislation to the White House
appropriating that money.
We have time to get out ahead of Zika, but we need to do it now. That
window is rapidly closing by the day. Let's work together and do it
now--Democrats and Republicans--to give our Nation the tools it needs
to keep the American people safe from the virus. Right now, we are not
safe.
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