[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 114 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H4976]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            ZIKA-RELATED MICROCEPHALY CASE IN HARRIS COUNTY

  (Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Zika is here, and Congress is 
not doing its job.
  Yesterday, health officials in Houston, Harris County, Texas, 
diagnosed an infant with microcephaly, which is a birth defect that 
causes a severe underdevelopment of the brain and a long list of health 
problems. This is the first documented case of Zika-related 
microcephaly in Texas. Unfortunately, it is one of the many tragedies 
that will continue if we fail to act.
  Zika poses a grave and unprecedented threat to our public health. It 
is time Congress fulfills its constitutional and moral duty to protect 
the health and welfare of our people. It is an appalling disservice to 
the American people that we are not yet providing resources to combat 
this virus.
  Congress' reluctance to provide funding is attributed to a distorted 
sense of fiscal responsibility. The fact of the matter is that their 
reluctance is putting the health and lives of the American people at 
risk, and inaction now will only be more costly in the long run. We are 
delaying medical research for a cure for Zika. We are delaying funding 
for our communities to fight Zika. We need to work with a sense of 
responsibility for the health and welfare of our Nation and approve the 
funds that are necessary to prevent Zika from spreading in our country.

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