Date: 2016-05-18
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank my ranking member. the gentlewoman from New York. for her leadership on this issue. I join my colleagues in urging Congress to vote down this wholly inadequate legislation and take meaningful action to address the public health crisis the Centers for Disease Control called "scarier than we originally thought" and support the Presidents request. My home State of Florida leads the Nation in confirmed cases of the Zika virus. with 113 people infected already and counting. Florida health officials declared a state of emergency in February. As we head into mosquito season. as well as high travel season. we know the risk of Zika will rise. We have seen the heartbreaking images of babies born with microcephaly. As researchers are continuing to learn more about the different ways that Zika can be transmitted. it is critical that Congress provide the funding needed to thoroughly tackle this virus now. I am proud that we have transcended partisan lines in Florida at least. Senators NELSON and RUnio as well as Governor Scott have all been outspoken advocates in support of the Presidents request to fight this disease. which he made nearly 3 months ago. I have heard many of my House Republican colleagues acknowledge the devastating effects of this disease and the need for serious proposals to combat it. Sadly. the only serious part of the bill before us is how far it is from meeting our Nations needs in overcoming this public health crisis. The bill that the Republican leadership has introduced will not provide meaningful support to my constituents or constituents affected by this across the country. Among its many other shortcomings. this bill would raid funds from accounts designated for Ebola. which. as many public health officials have testified already. is still a threat. Robbing Peter to pay Paul is irresponsible. It also fails to provide any specific resources to Puerto Rico. where Americans are suffering the greatest burden of what Dr. Thomas Frieden. the Director of the Centers for Disease Control. recently called an epidemic. It continues attacks on a womans ability to make her own reproductive health decisions. and. perhaps most astonishingly of all. this bill only provides these limited and borrowed funds until September 30. when they will then expire. Let me assure you that mosquitoes and diseases do not follow the congressional budget calendar. I urge the entire House to quickly pass legislation that I have introduced along with my colleagues. Ranking Member LOWEY and Ranking Member ROSA DELAURO. which would support the Presidents request of $1.9 billion. We cannot simply watch more people get infected with Zika as we dither over how we fund critical investments into vaccine research. prevention strategies. and finding a cure. This is a mosquitoborne and sexually transmitted virus. Mosquitoes dont know whether they are biting a Republican or a Democrat. and we should not politicize this serious crisis. The National Institutes of Health. the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. and the Department of Health and Human Services have repeatedly provided plans that clearly detail the need for these funds and how they would be spent. Our local public health facilities. particularly in Florida. the Gulf States. and Puerto Rico need added resources. as do our local mosquito control programs. We need more investments into vector control and mosquito eradication. We need more public education. and we need more resources to ensure that people are able to protect themselves. I will quote my colleague from the Senate. Senator MARCO RuBio. that we mustand I agree with himwe must get out in front of this. We will only have ourselves to blame if we dither and dont do so. So I say to my colleagues. we must act responsibly. we must respond appropriately. and we must do it quickly. This bill does not come close to doing that. so I will cast my vote against it in hopes we will reach an agreement that actually appropriates the amount of resources that address this burgeoning crisis. My constituents cannot wait and neither can yours.