Date: 2016-05-24
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. I rise to speak in support of full funding for the Zika Response Appropriations. because the House appropriations measure fell short of what is needed to aggressively address the enormity of the Zika Virus threat to the Americas and the United States. with particular concern for Puerto Rico the House needs to act. I thank President Obama for his leadership in requesting $1.9 billion to address the threat of the Zika Virus. and facing congressional delay he took funds from Ebola response to prepare the nation to face the Zika Virus threat. Let us not forgetEbola was on our doorstep last year before Congress acted and there are still Ebola hot spots that are occurring. which have to be addressed. but we now lack the resources to deal with that ever present threat. I am committed to doing everything I can to address the threat of Zika Virus. but I am not supportive of tricks or misguided strategies to get legislation to the House floor in the name of Zika prevention that will do too little. and funding that will abruptly end on September 30. 2016. As the founder and Chair of the Childrens Caucus and a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security. I am acutely aware of how dangerous the Zika Virus is to women who may be pregnant or may become pregnant should they be exposed to the disease. Houston. Texas. like many cities. towns. and parishes along the Gulf Coast. has a tropical climate hospitable to mosquitoes that carry the Zika Virus like parts of Central and South America. as well as the Caribbean. For this reason. I am sympathetic to those members who have districts along the Gulf Coast. These Gulf Coast areas. which include Houston. the third largest city in the nation. are known to have both types of the Zika Virus carrying mosquitoes: the Aedes Aegypti and the Asian Tiger Mosquito. which is why I held a meeting in Houston on March 10. 2016 about this evolving health threat. I convened this meeting with Houston. Harris County and State officials at every level of responsibility to combat the Zika Virus and to discuss preparations that would mitigate it. The participants included Dr. Peter Hotez. Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and Dr. Dubboun. Director of the Harris County Public Health Environmental Services Mosquito Control Division who gave strong input on the critical need to address the threat on a multipronged approach. The potential for the Zika Virus outbreaks in the United States if we do not act is real. and the people on the front lines are state and local governments who must prepare for mosquito season. establish community oriented education campaigns. provide Zika Virus prevention resources to women who live in areas where poverty is present. and environmental remediation of mosquito breeding near where people live. The assumption that everyone has air conditioning. window and door screens that are in good repair or present at all. does not take into consideration the pockets of poverty that are present in every major city including many towns. counties. parishes. and cities along the Gulf Coast. The 18th Congressional District of Texas. which I represent. has a tropical climate and is very likely to confront the challenge of Zika Virus carrying mosquitoes before mosquito season ends in the fall. Dr. Dubboun. Director of the Harris County Public Health Environmental Services Mosquito Control Division stressed that we cannot spray our way out of the Zika Virus threat. He was particularly cautious about the over use of spraying because of its collateral threat to the environment and people. We should not forget that Flint. Michigan was an example of shortsighted thinking on the part of government decision makers. which resulted in the contamination of that citys water supply. The participants in the meeting I held in Houston represented the senior persons at every state and local agency with responsibility for Zika Virus response. The expert view of those present was that we need a unity of effort plan to address the Zika Virus in the Houston and Harris County area that will include every aspect of the community. The collective wisdom of these experts revealed that we should not let the fear of the Zika Virus control public policy. Instead we should get in front of the problem. then we can control the Zika Virus from its sourcetargeting mosquito breeding environments. The real fight against the Zika Virus will be fought neighborhood by neighborhood and will rely upon the resources and expertise of local government working closely with State governments supported by federal government agencies. The consensus of Texas. Houston. and Harris County experts is that we make significant strides to stay ahead of the arrival of mosquito transmission of Zika Virus if we act now. The CDC said that for the period January 1. 2015 to May 11. 2016. the number of cases are as follows: