[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 147 (Wednesday, September 28, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S6202]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           ZIKA VIRUS FUNDING

  Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I want to come to the floor to say that 
after a lot of work, the Senate has finally passed funding to take on 
Zika--a cause I have been talking about since April of this year. I 
want to say, in full credit to the Senate, that this is actually a very 
similar proposal that the Senate proposed in May, and it is now the one 
before us. I am sad that it took so long to get to this point, but at 
least we are here now.
  As I said before, it is better late than never. To the people of my 
home State of Florida, to the people of the island of Puerto Rico, who 
have been disproportionately impacted by the outbreak of Zika in the 
United States, I want to say that despite a long wait, help is finally 
on the way. Help is finally on the way in the form of a $1.1 billion 
anti-Zika package which is part of this larger law--this larger bill 
that passed today to keep the government open beyond September 30.
  Included in the law that passed today is $15 million that is 
specifically targeted for States with local transmissions. The only 
State so far that has had local transmissions is my home State of 
Florida. Today, $15 million is, hopefully, on its way to Florida if we 
can get this done in the House to help with the fight against Zika.
  It also includes $60 million, specifically for territories like 
Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has the highest number of infected American 
citizens with Zika. Today is good news for Puerto Rico.
  This took far too long, but I am glad we are finally here. This anti-
Zika package rightfully prioritizes Americans in Florida and in Puerto 
Rico, and I am encouraged that after months of working on this, my 
calls for action have finally been answered and real assistance from 
the Federal Government is finally on its way.
  I have to reiterate that it is shameful that it took so long and that 
this public health crisis was made worse by people playing political 
games in Washington, DC.
  If anyone is in doubt about whether that is partisan, I think the 
games have come from both side of the aisle. It took far too long for 
colleagues in my own party to understand the gravity and severity of 
this outbreak, and, sad to say, the Democratic minority in the Senate 
used this as a political tool for much of the month of August and even 
as late as yesterday. I am glad that these critical resources are now 
moving forward so that we can help thousands of Americans suffering 
from this virus and so that we can step up our mosquito eradication 
efforts and ultimately so that we can develop a vaccine that eradicates 
Zika for good.
  While the funding is on its way, the problem still continues. In the 
mainland of the United States, there are now 3,358 cases of Zika. In 
U.S. territories, primarily the island of Puerto Rico, there are now 
close to 20,000 cases. In my home State of Florida, there are now 904 
cases--109 of them were locally transmitted, meaning they were not 
acquired abroad. They were acquired in the State. There are 91 pregnant 
women in the State of Florida infected by Zika.
  While Congress did nothing and while the President refused to fully 
spend the spending authority it had available to him for weeks, this 
crisis continued to grow. The health impact of it is well understood, 
but the economic impact has not been discussed nearly enough.
  We know for a fact that there are bookings that are down in Miami 
Beach. That is not just an inconvenience. My parents worked in the 
hotel industry. That is how they raised our family--my father in 
particular. If hotels are suffering because people are canceling trips 
because they are afraid of Zika, it is the people that work at those 
hotels who are most immediately impacted.
  We have seen restaurants and small businesses associated with 
visitors report the same thing. Anecdotally, I have had people come up 
to me over the last month and say: Is it safe to travel to Florida? Is 
it safe to go down there?
  The answer is that it is. It is safe to come to Florida, but that 
doesn't mean we don't have a Zika problem. It doesn't mean it doesn't 
need to be addressed. Local communities in the State of Florida and the 
island of Puerto Rico--the territory, the Commonwealth--had to step 
forward and fund it on their own until now.
  While it is good news that we have finally passed Zika funding in the 
Senate, it now has to go to the House. I would urge my colleagues in 
the House to pass this quickly--not just to keep the government open 
but to finally fund the fight against Zika and to ensure that the 
research that is going into the development of vaccine is not slowed 
down.
  There are other things we can do to address this. For example, I have 
proposed opening up the Small Business Administration loan program that 
is available for businesses that suffer the effects of natural 
disasters to also be able so that businesses may avail themselves of 
these loans if they are suffering because of a health epidemic. The SBA 
has indicated that they are open to that change, and I hope that is 
something we look at when we return in November.
  Suffice it to say that I want to close out here today by telling the 
people of Florida that, after a wait that took far too long, after 
months of hard work and focus and bipartisan cooperation, help is 
finally on the way. Help is finally on the way in the form of $1.1 
billion, including $15 million for Florida and $60 million for the 
territory of Puerto Rico.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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