[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5510-5511]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                               ZIKA VIRUS

  Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, I want to give an update. The Zika virus 
is raging. It is certainly raging in Puerto Rico. It is expanding 
greatly in this country, and the State with the most infected cases is 
my State of Florida.
  I have been on this floor many times asking for the President's 
request of $1.9 billion to attack the Zika virus. About $800 million of 
that is, No. 1, to replace the Ebola emergency fund, which they have 
raided since the Congress has not given them the funding in order to 
try to get at the problem to begin with, which is somewhere around $500 
million to $550 million. They need another $225 million to increase 
Medicaid in Puerto Rico, where it is now estimated that by the end of 
the year, 25 percent of the population of Puerto Rico--25 percent--will 
be infected because that is where this mosquito--called the aegypti 
mosquito--that transmits the virus is raging, but beware, especially as 
we are going into the warm summer months, this aegypti mosquito is all 
over the Southern United States. Anyplace that is hot, humid, and where 
there is rain--because rainwater will not all dissipate. It may be in a 
bottle cap. It may be in a dishpan. It may be in a birdbath. Where 
there is stagnant water, that mosquito will lay its larva, and that is 
the breeding ground to hatch the aegypti.
  About 1\1/2\ weeks ago, when we were here before the recess, there 
were approximately 1,000 cases reported in the United States, which 
included 570 in Puerto Rico and 94 in Florida. Now, just a little over 
a week later, it is already up to 1,133 cases across the country--up to 
629 in Puerto Rico and 107 in my State. Just today, two more cases were 
reported by the Department of Health in the State of Florida.
  The bottom line is, the virus is spreading, and it is spreading 
quickly. Not only is it spreading, but the CDC confirmed the first 
Zika-related death of a 70-year-old man who died of complications in 
Puerto Rico.
  Over the break, I met with a group of Puerto Rican leaders in 
Florida. Basically, Puerto Rico does not have the resources it needs to 
provide protection from the virus.
  I was just talking to Senator Hatch, chairman of the Senate Finance 
Committee, about getting the financial crisis addressed in Puerto Rico. 
We can see how that is spilling over into not being able to attack the 
Zika crisis where it is raging out of control because of the 
transmission in Puerto Rico by these mosquitos. Out of the 3.5 million 
population of Puerto Ricans on the island, it is estimated by the CDC 
that 800,000 of them could be infected by the end of this year.
  So that U.S. territory--remember, they are American citizens. These 
are fellow Americans who are in trouble--is struggling under the weight 
of crippling debt in the financial crisis, and we haven't helped them 
yet. They have a Medicaid Program that is capped and it is running out 
of cash. The physician shortage is getting worse. What is happening is 
that because of the financial problems, the professionals--the doctors 
and lawyers and nurses, especially those in health care--because they 
cannot get compensated, they are leaving the island and going to the 
mainland. As a matter of fact, it is estimated that something between 
85,000 and 100,000 may be leaving the island this year, coming to the 
mainland United States. The benefit is that a lot of those 
professionals are coming to Florida, but look at the gaping hole in 
health care that is leaving for the island.
  It seems to me that as Senators, it is our duty to protect our fellow 
Americans and curb the spread of this virus now. So I have introduced 
what the administration requested. I have had Senators say we have not 
given a plan for the $1.9 billion. I have given the plan over and over 
until this Senator is blue in the face. There is a specific breakout 
that I have entered into the Record several times, the last of which 
was when we were last in session 1\1/2\ weeks ago. The bill has 35 
cosponsors, but unfortunately there is not one Republican

[[Page 5511]]

Senator who is a cosponsor. It doesn't make sense. The spread of the 
Zika virus is not a partisan issue, and yet it seems to have been 
characterized that way.
  I urge our colleagues to come together on this for the good of the 
American people. For their health and safety, let's approve this $1.9 
billion emergency request. This is the same kind of emergency funding 
request that would be in the aftermath of an earthquake, a hurricane, 
or some other natural disaster. It has now affected the American 
people. It is an awful virus, and we need to get at it and stop it 
before it is too late.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.

                          ____________________