‘Pass The Zika Bill’

Senate Democrats: Zika Virus ‘Is A Health Care Crisis That Is Upon Us Right Now’

42 SENATE DEMOCRATS: “[W]e write to urge that you immediately begin work to act on the public health crisis posed by the Zika virus. . . [I]t would be shortsighted and dangerous for Congress not to act quickly to give the Administration the resources it needs to fully fight the Zika virus and protect Americans.” (Letter to Sens. McConnell and Cochran, 4/18/2016)

• 41 SENATE DEMOCRATS: “It is simply unacceptable that efforts to counter the spread of the Zika and develop a vaccine are being held hostage . . . Americans expect Congress to do its job. . .  The simplest course of action would be to pass the Senate’s clean bipartisan compromise on Zika . . .” (Letter to Sen. McConnell and Speaker Ryan, 8/04/2016)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): “[W]e have to get something done with Zika. . . We need to treat the Zika virus like the genuine health crisis it is . . .” (Sen. Reid, Congressional Record, S. 5585, 9/13/2016)

• REID: “First and foremost, the Senate needs to fund efforts to combat Zika.” (Sen. Reid, Congressional Record, S. 5228, 9/06/2016)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): “Every day we wait, every day is increasing the risk that we will have problems with Zika.” (“Sen. Schumer Calling For Nearly $2 Billion To Fight Zika,” CBS Albany, 6/20/2016)

SEN. PATTY MURRAY (D-WA): “Mosquito season is ramping up in some parts of our country already and we cannot delay any longer.” (Sen. Murray, Press Conference, 5/24/16)

SEN. BILL NELSON (D-FL): “[I]t is a health care crisis that is upon us right now. It is the Zika crisis. . . Members of Congress, pass the Zika bill. We need it now.” (Sen. Nelson, Congressional Record, S. 5493-4, 9/12/2016)

• NELSON: “The political gamesmanship has to end. I strongly urge you to exercise your power as the leader of the Senate to bring up a Zika-funding measure that has an actual chance of passage.”  (Sen. Nelson, Letter to Sen. McConnell, 7/14/2016)

• NELSON: “The bottom line is: we must do something. We cannot afford to put this issue off . . .” (Sen. Nelson, Letter to Sen. McConnell, 7/14/2016)

SEN. MICHAEL BENNET (D-CO): “With the rising threat of the Zika virus, dedicated funding is needed now more than ever to contain the spread and find a cure. . .  This global public health crisis deserves an immediate vote on a clean funding bill.” (Sen. Bennet, Letter to Sen. McConnell, Speaker Ryan, Sen. Reid, and Rep. Pelosi, 8/01/2016)

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): “Nearly 19,000 Americans have been infected by the Zika virus, including hundreds of pregnant women. Yet Congress has failed to pass an emergency funding bill to address the Zika crisis . . .” (Sen. Warner, Congressional Record, S. 5716, 9/14/2016)

SEN. JON TESTER (D-MT): “Right now we have no bill passed that deals with the Zika crisis, and it is a health crisis in this country.” (Sen. Tester, Congressional Record, S. 5863, 9/14/2016)

SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): “[T]he Senate has failed to act with urgency to address the Zika outbreak. . . [W]hile we have been at a standstill, Zika has been on the move with tragic consequences.” (Sen. Murphy, Congressional Record, S. 5685, 9/14/2016)

SEN. BOB MENENDEZ (D-NJ): “Zika has come to Miami, FL, and Congress needs to step up and provide the necessary funds to fight this terrible virus.  Zika is like any other national emergency, and we are a nation that always--always--responds to emergencies.” (Sen. Menendez, Congressional Record, S. 5450, 9/08/2016)

SEN. ED MARKEY (D-MA): “[W]e are in a race against time. . . [I]mmediate funding is a critical component of the U.S. and global fight against the Zika virus. . . This crisis demands that Congress pass a Zika funding package as soon as possible.” (Sen. Markey, Congressional Record, S. 5450-1, 9/08/2016)

SEN. BEN CARDIN (D-MD): “I was on the floor yesterday talking about the need to fund Zika. To me, that is urgent. We have to get that done now.” (Sen. Cardin, Congressional Record, S. 5319, 9/07/2016)

CDC Warns Existing Funds ‘Nearly Exhausted’

“The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Tuesday that federal funds to fight the Zika virus were nearly exhausted, and that if Congress did not replenish them soon, there would be no money to fight a new outbreak.” (“U.S. Funding for Fighting Zika Virus Is Nearly Spent, C.D.C. Says,” The New York Times, 8/30/2016)

• CDC DIRECTOR DR. TOM FRIEDEN: “The cupboard is bare . . .” (“U.S. Funding for Fighting Zika Virus Is Nearly Spent, C.D.C. Says,” The New York Times, 8/30/2016)

‘The Issue Of Funding Is Urgent, Public Health Experts Say’

“The issue of funding is urgent, public health experts say, because the Gulf Coast, where the Zika mosquito mostly lives, is only about halfway through peak mosquito season . . .” (“U.S. Funding for Fighting Zika Virus Is Nearly Spent, C.D.C. Says,” The New York Times, 8/30/2016)

“More than 50 major health associations are asking congressional leaders to resolve their differences and pass a Zika funding bill quickly. ‘We urge Congress in the strongest possible terms to craft a Zika funding package that can be passed with broad support,’ the groups wrote in a letter . . . signed by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, March of Dimes and others . . .” (“Dozens Of Health Groups Demand Zika Funding,” Washington Examiner, 9/06/2016)

• AMA: “On behalf of the physician and medical student members of the American Medical Association, I am writing to urge you to take immediate action to make available the necessary resources to prepare our nation to address the growing threat of the Zika virus. . . Time is growing short to make the critical investments that all agree are necessary to prevent local vector-borne transmission of the Zika virus and the potential health impacts of infection.” (James L. Madara, Letter to Sens. McConnell and Reid, 5/26/2016)

• Infectious Diseases Society of America: “U.S. territories and other countries in Central and South America need immediate assistance to address this ongoing crisis. The Zika threat to the continental United States is imminent . . . We urge Congress to pass the strongest emergency funding bill possible to combat Zika . . .” (IDSA Zika Vote Statement, 5/17/2016)

• ACOG: “The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), representing more than 57,000 physicians and partners in women’s health, is extremely disappointed with the partisan politics Congress is playing in the face of this very real public health crisis. . . Ob-gyns are on the front lines of this virus, caring for women whose pregnancies are at risk from Zika and its devastating birth defects.” (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Press Release, 7/14/2016)