[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 22, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4432-S4433]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ZIKA VIRUS
Mr. REID. Mr. President, on another subject, when we have voted on
the Collins amendment, we must turn our attention to another critically
important matter--addressing the Zika public health crisis.
The American people have been waiting since February for Republicans
to respond in regard to this serious, serious threat from Zika caused
by mosquito bites. For centuries, mosquitoes have been wreaking havoc
on people, but never, ever in the past have there been any reports of
mosquitoes carrying a virus or anything else that causes birth defects.
The American people have been waiting since February for Republicans
to respond to the threat from Zika. It has been four months to the day
since President Obama sent an emergency appropriations request to
Congress for $1.9 billion to fight Zika, and $1.9 billion was the
specific figure requested by researchers, public health experts, and
doctors. There is even more needed now that 120 days have passed and
have exposed even more dangers from Zika.
While this Republican Congress has done nothing to provide the
necessary funding, the threat from Zika continues to grow larger every
day.
According to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention on how Zika is affecting the United States--
listen to these numbers because they are stunning, and in a few days
they will be changed even more. Nearly 2,200 Americans have been
affected by the Zika virus, and 423 pregnant women have tested positive
for the virus. Tragically, six pregnancies in Zika-infected women have
already resulted in severe birth defects. Of these 423 pregnant women,
how many more women are going to have babies born with these extreme
challenges? It is awful what this virus does to a lot of babies.
In the past we have responded to public health emergencies with the
urgency they deserve. When the Nation
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faced the Ebola crisis, we responded. When the avian flu crisis hit, we
responded quickly with emergency funding. We have done the same with
tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and fires, but the
Republicans aren't doing that. I don't know; I don't understand this.
It is an emergency. Zika is an emergency. It is devastating.
Republicans should treat it as such and work with Democrats to fully
respond to this. They should do it now; they should have done it months
ago.
It is stunning and sad that instead of responding responsibly to this
Nation's emergency in a bipartisan way, the Republicans have retreated
behind closed doors and are negotiating Zika funding among themselves.
There is a conference going on, but nothing is happening. The
Republicans over in the House are playing around with something they
are going to send us. We know; we have been there. It is going to come
here. The Republicans in the House will then decide to go home, and the
Democrats will have to go with them, and they will be gone. So we will
be jammed sometime next week, and the Republican leader will say:
Listen, we have to do this. The House is gone. We can't change
anything. Well, that is wrong. They should not turn this general public
health emergency into a partisan game, syphoning money from Ebola or
cutting the Affordable Care Act as we heard they are doing over in the
House. That is a dangerous break from our commitment to address
emergencies we are funding.
We should respond to this crisis and respond now. We know what we
need to send the President--at least $1.9 billion--and it is an
emergency. It is no different, as I have said, than a flood or a fire
or those other emergencies I mentioned. For every moment the
Republicans delay in responding to the Zika virus, we endanger more
Americans.
Mr. President, there are a number of people on the floor. I would ask
the Chair to announce the business of the day.
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