[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

[[Page S4433]]

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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