[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13432-13433]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           ZIKA VIRUS FUNDING

  Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, first of all, as to the news that has 
already been reported today, there is a broader issue about funding the 
government that remains in play with some issues, and there has been 
back and forth about that which will continue. I want to specifically 
talk about one of the provisions involved in this; that is, the funding 
for Zika. My colleagues know I have been discussing this issue for 
quite some time over the last few months as it has spread.
  Let's start with the United States. Across the U.S. territory, there 
are now close to 20,000 cases of Zika. There are over 3,300 infections 
in the mainland of the United States; 867 of them are in Florida and 90 
were transmitted locally, meaning it happened in the State. There are 
89 infections in Florida involving pregnant women. There are 85 
infections now among U.S. servicemembers, two of whom are pregnant. 
There are 21 dependents of U.S. servicemembers infected with Zika, and 
one of them is pregnant. This is an issue that continues to grow in 
urgency, and it has taken far too long for Congress to act. As I have 
said repeatedly, both parties are to blame that we are at this point.
  What I am more optimistic about is the fact that we have reached a 
bipartisan agreement to fund the Federal Government's response to this 
virus, and it is a $1.1 billion package. There is $15 million 
specifically targeted for States with local transmissions, and so far 
Florida is the only State that has local transmissions. It also 
includes $16 million specifically for territories like the Island of 
Puerto Rico, which has had the highest number of affected American 
citizens, and that is by far. It is not even close.
  So next week when we come back, we are expected to vote on these 
anti-Zika resources, and it is going to be part of the larger bill to 
fund the Federal Government beyond September 30. I know that some of 
those other issues have yet to be worked out. There will be some 
extensive debate about some of the issues remaining, but this provision 
is an important part of this, and it has to be a part of the final 
package as we send it over to the House.
  I will begin by laying this out today in the hopes that not just my 
colleagues in the Senate will support the funding mechanism for Zika 
but also to begin to speak to some of our House colleagues about how 
important it is that we get the anti-Zika funding passed. Passing this 
funding will enable this money to begin to flow to help those who are 
being hurt by the virus but also so that medical researchers can focus 
on developing a vaccine without having to worry about their resources 
drying up.
  I think this package that has been put together in a bipartisan way 
rightfully prioritizes funding for Americans in Puerto Rico and 
Florida, and I am encouraged that our repeated calls for action on 
their behalf are beginning to be answered. I think that as we go 
through some of the details of it here, as some of it becomes public 
and as we go through some of the issues, I know people are going to 
care about it.
  This anti-Zika funding provides $1.1 billion. By the way, the Senate 
already passed the $1.1 billion provision--I believe back in May--so 
the Senate has already acted on this once. This is kind of revisiting 
this issue, but it is important. We are going to have to lead the way 
on how this is structured.
  Among the provisions, there is almost $400 million for mosquito 
control and surveillance. That is money which will go to the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention and to do things like support vector 
controls, technical assistance for States, as well as international 
response activities. Of this amount, by the way, $44 million is to 
reimburse States for public health emergency preparedness funding that 
was transferred for Zika response activities.
  There is about $400 million for vaccine and diagnostic development 
through the National Institutes of Health and the Biomedical Advanced 
Research and Development Authority. This is strictly related to 
research for Zika, vaccine development, and the commercialization of 
diagnostic tests. It is hard to get a test for Zika now. A couple of 
weeks ago, someone whom I know well could not find a place to do the 
test because there is not a commercially available one that is widely 
available.
  It provides about $75 million to reimburse health care providers in 
States and U.S. territories that have active Zika transmission, for 
those without private health insurance. That includes $40 million for 
community health centers in Puerto Rico and U.S. territories, $6 
million for the National Health Services Corps in Puerto Rico, and $20 
million for maternal and child health special projects of regional and 
national significance in Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories.
  It requires a spending plan of not later than 30 days after this act 
is passed, so it has oversight, and it provides about $1 million for 
oversight activities just to make sure the money is being appropriately 
targeted.
  This funding also includes about $175 million to support response 
efforts related to the Zika virus--for example, our diplomatic and 
consular programs; $14 million to address the Zika virus abroad, 
including our own personnel. For emergencies in the Diplomatic and 
Consular Service, we include about $4 million to support potential 
costs of evacuating U.S. citizens from Zika-affected countries.
  There is $1 million to enable financing of $1.9 million in 
repatriation loans to U.S. citizens who are seeking to leave a Zika-
affected area outside of the United States or who have been exposed to 
or contracted Zika.
  As part of the global health programs, there is another $145 million 
to support the ability of infected countries to implement vector 
management and control programs to reduce the transmission of the 
virus. This is important because a lot of the cases we are seeing are 
coming from other countries. The virus has taken off in places like 
Brazil and other places, and when we have U.S. visitors to those 
places, ultimately what we are finding is that some people infected by 
Zika abroad are trying to come into the United States, even if they 
come in potentially on a tourist visa or what have you. So part of this 
effort is to control it abroad so it doesn't ultimately spread and 
reach here.
  There is a lot, as I said, that is complex. There are a lot of funds 
available. The good news is that it is being targeted in the right 
direction. The good news for Florida is that as the only State so far 
that has had a global transmission of Zika, we have included $15 
million, which I think will be incredibly helpful for Florida.
  So I urge my colleagues--we have all come at this from a different 
perspective. There were a lot of other issues in play and a lot of 
political rhetoric surrounding this, but I think we have reached the 
point where, at least when it comes to Zika, we can rally around the 
proposal that is before us. It is as good as we are going to get given 
the time constraints we face, and we have waited far too long. We 
cannot leave here on September 30, next week, without moving something 
forward, and I think this gives us the best chance to get it done.
  I urge my colleagues to support it as we go into the new week, and I 
urge the House Members to look at this and rally around it. We have to 
take action on this once and for all. This gives us the best chance of 
success.
  I am cautiously optimistic that we are going to be able to get this 
done over here. I say ``cautiously'' because I want people at home to 
understand that this provision for Zika is part of a much bigger 
product that involves funding the Federal Government, and there are all 
sorts of other issues that are still being debated.
  As we heard the minority leader and others who have already spoken 
today--I read it in the press--they are not big fans of the proposal 
that is on the table. There are broader issues at play that could 
potentially derail Zika, issues that have nothing to do with Zika 
funding. There are other issues

[[Page 13433]]

being debated that could derail funding for Zika that have nothing to 
do with Zika but involve some of these other issues associated with the 
funding of the government.
  This is important enough for us to move forward. I don't think anyone 
wants to see a government shutdown, of course, but beyond that, I think 
we have to get moving on this funding. We have heard loud and clear 
that this has taken far too long.
  Let me say that if this money doesn't start flowing--because I have 
been really hard on the administration about spending the money that is 
already available to them, but now I can tell you that money is slowly 
dwindling. Here is the fact: If we don't get something done over the 
next few days, the research on the vaccines and other things are going 
to stop and come to a grinding halt.
  If we want to save money on Zika, if we want to save money on this 
issue once and for all, develop a vaccine. That is what needs to 
happen. That can't happen if the funding is being threatened or if the 
funding is not something they can count on to move forward. Also, these 
local governments and municipalities and the State of Florida have 
already expended significant amounts of money to deal with this issue, 
including the mosquito control efforts. So that is important.
  These cases are going to happen whether we fund it or not. That is 
why I wanted us to do this in April and in May and June and in July. It 
took too long. Here is where we are now. Better late than never. Let's 
get this done as soon as possible so that we can give assurance to our 
people back home that the Federal Government has stepped up and their 
elected representatives have done their job to deal with this issue 
once and for all.
  With that, 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. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Rubio). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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