[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4420]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     THE BUDGET AND THE ZIKA VIRUS

  (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, this morning, I had the privilege of 
participating with the Union Theological Center, in New York, to speak 
about our faith and our legislation. It causes me to come to the floor 
today to act upon that very strong faith in the Good Samaritan, which 
means that we are, in effect, our brothers' and sisters' keeper.
  We have a devastating disease in the Zika virus that has now been 
announced as being more devastating than had been expected as it causes 
severe brain damage; and my State and Gulf States and other States 
across America are, in fact, in the target line. In Texas, for example, 
we recently had a Zika virus hearing, and our infectious disease 
experts told us that this is a devastating disease.
  Yes, we can take money from someplace else and borrow from Peter to 
pay Paul, but I am asking this Congress, in the spirit of the Good 
Samaritan, to pass the President's emergency supplemental request of 
$1.9 billion. I will be asking the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services to come to Texas and sit down with our law enforcement and 
health professionals in order to make a difference.
  Finally, let me say, Mr. Speaker, that this is budget day, and we 
have not passed a budget. We will not pass a Republican budget because 
it kills education; it doesn't protect Social Security; and it is not 
in the spirit of a Good Samaritan. Let us do what is right--pass a 
budget for the American people and provide for those in the line of 
danger with the Zika virus.

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