[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 138 (Tuesday, September 13, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H5350]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        CONGRESS NEEDS TO ADDRESS THE ZIKA PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS

  (Mr. POLIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, here we are debating various issues. Soon we 
will be going into debate on veterans bills, on tax cut bills. Yet this 
body has continually failed to act on addressing the Zika health crisis 
that has already impacted over 3,000 Americans in States like Texas and 
Florida, and it will only continue to get worse until we put the 
resources we need into our public health to prepare vaccinations, to 
deal with mosquito control.
  This is the type of issue that doesn't solve itself. And it is 
amazing that, when people look to the United States Congress for 
leadership, rather than acting on funding Zika, months after the 
initial request by the President of the United States, we continue to 
discuss topics which are not going to become law, bills that would be 
vetoed if they pass the Senate, won't pass the Senate, and, obviously, 
don't address the immediate public health crisis that is affecting 
thousands of Americans and will affect even more until this body 
decides to address it.

                          ____________________