DeLauro Calls on Speaker Ryan to Return from Summer Vacation and Fund a Robust Response to the Zika Virus
WASHINGTON, DC (August 11, 2016) — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today joined Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats to call on Congress to return to Washington to address the nation’s most pressing issues, including the Zika virus.
DeLauro has repeatedly called on Speaker Ryan and House Republicans to fund the Administration’s emergency request since February, yet House Republicans continue to delay. Six months later, the Zika virus has become a major public health crisis that must be addressed before Congress is scheduled to return after Labor Day.
Click here to watch the full remarks.
Here are the remarks, as delivered:
I thank my colleague Donna Edwards, the Co-Chair of Steering and Policy, and I’m honored to be here with our Leader. I thank her for organizing this effort today with the rest of my colleagues here this morning. And it really is about discussing some of the most serious challenges that are facing our nation today: the Zika virus, the opioid epidemic, it’s been mentioned, the lead poisoning of children Flint Michigan, and yes, gun violence.
As predicted many months ago, the Zika virus has rapidly become a serious healthcare crisis. As of last week, there are more than 7,300 cases in the United States and its territories, including nearly 1,000 expectant mothers. 15 babies have been born with Zika related birth defects and 1 baby in Texas has died. Over 40 members of our military have been infected with Zika.
This is a public health emergency. What does it take to get the Republican majority to act? First, they demanded that the Administration transfer funds intended to combat the Ebola virus and use it instead for Zika. The Administration complied. $589 million was redirected to fight Zika, in essence, robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Resources went to the Centers for Disease Control, who will obligate all of their remaining funds by the end of September. Resources went to NIH and BARDA, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development, both will exhaust almost all their funds for vaccines by the end of August.
And now, because of continued inaction by the Republicans, they are going to force the Department of Health and Human Services to take money from the NIH, from biomedical research. We know what that means, and some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will stand up and talk about how we need to spend money for biomedical research, but NIH is going to have to shift some of that money in order to deal with Zika.
And if they don’t, vaccine development will be stopped dead in its tracks. They’re forcing HHS to take money from other public health programs to continue to pay for diagnostics, so that we know the scope of the Zika outbreak. The money is running out and our public health officials cannot combat this virus without additional funding.
Speaker Ryan, call the House of Representatives back into session so that we can pass legislation that will allow us to effectively respond to the Zika virus.
Does the Speaker not realize that for the first time in history, our government is telling pregnant women to avoid a U.S. neighborhood in Florida? Does the Speaker not realize that women are being advised not to get pregnant? Does the Speaker not realize that waiting until September is too late—too late for the expectant mothers with Zika who are so fearful of bearing a child with severe birth defects, too late for the people of Miami, and too late for the millions of Americans at risk?
Our job is to protect the American people from Zika, opioids, lead poisoning, gun violence. Republicans have not responded on this issue and it’s time for the Republicans to act.
Let me take also a moment, to say thank you to Leader Pelosi for leading our Congressional Delegation to Italy and to Afghanistan last week. We discussed a range of issues with foreign leaders, and met with our military leaders and service men and women. Their bravery and their dedication are inspiring to all of us.
In Italy, we met with Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, who is head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. We discussed immigration, food security, and global poverty reduction. These are critical issues that face our world and the U.S. has an important role to play. The United States cannot and must not put its head in the sand whether they are fighting Zika or in addressing these other global issues.
We thank you again, Leader Pelosi, and let me now turn it back over to you—I’m sorry, Congressman Steve Israel.
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