People Are Justifiably Concerned About Zika

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, after one of the longest congressional breaks in history, House Republicans are trying to wrap things up and leave town, leaving critical work unfinished. Meanwhile, millions of Americans in New York, Florida, and throughout the United States are justifiably concerned about the dangers of the Zika virus.

Nowhere has this disease hit harder than in Puerto Rico, where Zika has become an epidemic. As of last week, more than 1,380 pregnant women in Puerto Rico have been diagnosed with Zika; and overall, there have been 16,000 laboratory cases of the virus found on the island.

It would be a tragic and heartbreaking mistake for this Congress to ignore the severity of this threat. Let us be clear: this is the first time we have identified a ``mosquito-borne'' form of birth defect. It is also the first new, major infectious cause of birth defects in five decades.

There are some things we do not know about the Zika virus. It is not clear what proportion of infants affected by the virus will suffer birth defects, but what we have seen so far is saddening, troubling, and horrifying. To look upon their helpless faces and do nothing is unconscionable. Yet, despite what we do not know, one thing is tragically clear: this House has failed to provide adequate resources to address this danger.

It has now been 7 months since President Obama's administration requested adequate resources to help stem the threat of Zika, but House Republicans have taken zero--I repeat, zero--votes on adequate funding that will help tackle this problem.

Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is telling us they are running out of money to deal with this potential catastrophe.

There are critical public health steps we need to take but cannot because the CDC is essentially out of money. Already, NIH is drawing resources from other priorities, like HIV and AIDS and cancer research, because this body has failed to act.

Sometimes my colleagues on the other side like to talk about how we must ``protect the unborn.'' Well, let me ask you this: When we fail to tackle a disease that causes unborn babies to develop birth defects that will haunt them the rest of their lives, how are we protecting the unborn?

These are innocent children--American children in Puerto Rico and on the mainland--who are suffering enormously because this Congress has not done its job. We are learning that this disease is sexually transmitted, making contraception a key part of any solution. But Republicans are raising objections to adequate funding for contraception.

Mr. Speaker, protecting the safety and health of the American people is a solemn obligation for every Member of Congress. It is a responsibility that we are currently not living up to.

I call on my colleagues to do the right thing. Do your job. Pass a supplemental funding bill so the CDC can get to work and help stop this terrible virus from spreading.

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