Subject: Editorial Boards to House GOP: Do Your Job on Zika
From: Dem Leader Press Office <[email-masked]>
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Date: Tue, 10 May 2016 20:18:05 +0000

For 78 days and counting, House Republicans have refused to act on President Obama’s urgent request for an emergency supplemental to confront the growing threat of the Zika virus.  There are more than 1,000 Americans – including more than 100 pregnant women – with confirmed cases of Zika, but House Republicans continue to dawdle in the face of this frightening threat.

Editorial boards across the country are echoing House Democrats’ message to the Republican Congress: do your job to keep the American people safe.

Bloomberg Editorial: Congress Has No Good Reason to Delay Zika Funding<http://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-04-28/congress-has-no-good-reason-to-delay-zika-funding?utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_content=5723067204d30163439880ef&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter>
More than two months after the White House asked Congress for more than $1.8 billion to fight the Zika virus, Congress has yet to provide it. President Barack Obama, Republicans claim, has failed to explain in sufficient detail how his administration would spend the money.

Perhaps his 25-page proposal<https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/budget_amendments/emergency_supplemental_2-22-16_zika.pdf>, sent to House Speaker Paul Ryan in February, got lost in interoffice mail. If so, no worries: There’s also a summary on the Web. Most of the money -- about $1.5 billion -- will go to the Department of Health and Human Services to help states control the mosquito that carries the virus, expand programs to test for it, and work on developing a vaccine…

The case for action now is overwhelming… Whatever the explanation for Republicans’ truculence -- and opposition among some factions of the party to any new spending undoubtedly factors into it -- it’s a delay that could endanger lives. There have already been 891 cases of Zika in the U.S., including 81 pregnant women. Republicans need to move, and quick.

New York Times Editorial: On Zika, Congress Is Failing to Do Its Job<http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/15/opinion/on-zika-congress-is-failing-to-do-its-job.html>
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has concluded that the Zika virus causes brain damage in babies born to infected women, which adds to the growing evidence that the virus is a major public health emergency. Yet Republicans in Congress are refusing to appropriate the money needed to respond to this crisis…

President Obama asked Congress in February for more than $1.8 billion to fight Zika, but Republican lawmakers refused to act and said the government should use money that had been appropriated for other diseases, like Ebola. They have also made vague promises to provide more funds before the next fiscal year begins in October…After weeks of fruitless talks with Congress, the administration said last week that it would shift nearly $600 million to anti-Zika efforts from Ebola and other programs. That is not sufficient and could increase the risk of another outbreak of Ebola, which remains a persistent threat.

Having learned from its slow response to Ebola, the Obama administration is trying to move faster against Zika. But if Congress doesn’t do its job, the public will be put at needless risk.

Chicago Tribune Editorial: The long, hot summer of Zika<http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-zika-congress-obama-funding-ebola-edit-0507-jm-20160505-story.html>
President Barack Obama asked Congress to set aside $1.9 billion to better respond to the virus abroad and prepare for it here. He said the money was necessary to halt the spread of the disease and "protect the health and safety of Americans."  That was in February.  The response?  So far, nothing.  Full, screeching halt.

Congress has refused to approve the request… Senate negotiators recently said they were close to a deal to provide at least $1.1 billion in emergency financing to battle the rapidly spreading virus. But House Republicans were still stalling. Maybe they'll be convinced when the mosquitoes start biting on the Potomac, when mothers and babies start suffering.

Los Angeles Times Editorial: Zika will only get 'scarier' if lawmakers are stingy with emergency funds<http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ol-0415-zika-funding-20160414-story.html>
The more scientists learn about Zika, the worse the news gets for the next generation…

The new information about Zika should weigh heavily on Congress when it decides whether to allocate $1.9 billion in emergency funding, as requested by the CDC and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Lawmakers balked when President Obama first asked for the money in February. But that was before we understood just how insidious this seemingly mild-mannered flavivirus can be.

Seattle Times Editorial: It’s time for Congress to step up and stop the spread of Zika virus<http://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/its-time-for-congress-to-step-up-and-stop-the-spread-of-zika-virus/>
CONGRESS must act quickly to help stop the spread of the Zika virus… Lawmakers should grant President Obama’s $1.9 billion emergency funding request to control Zika-carrying mosquitoes, develop a vaccine and assist countries dealing with much higher rates of infection.

Every member of Congress should be focused on protecting women and infants from the horrible effects of the Zika virus.

Washington Post Editorial: We must zap Zika before it’s too late<https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/zap-zika-before-its-too-late/2016/04/20/59eb63f0-066e-11e6-bdcb-0133da18418d_story.html>
…For two months, the Republican-controlled House and Senate have not acted. Further delay will degrade preparedness for a virus that carries a greater punch than was first believed…

What will members of Congress tell those mothers and children in the United States who become victims of Zika this year and next year because resources were not committed to preparing for the virus? That there were “unanswered questions” in the paperwork? How lame, and irresponsible.

Lexington Herald-Leader Editorial: Republicans should act on Zika threat<http://www.kentucky.com/opinion/editorials/article75188882.html>
… the Republicans who control Congress — prominent among them, Kentuckians Hal Rogers in the key role of House Appropriations chairman and Mitch McConnell, the majority leader of the Senate — have responded to the Zika threat by doing nothing — except blame the White House…

…still, the Republicans in Congress are dragging their feet, doing nothing. They would rather expose their constituents to a birth defect-causing disease for which there is no vaccine or reliable diagnostic test than approve new spending or give Obama anything resembling a win. It’s unbelievable.

… the Republicans should get over themselves and act as if they know what “emergency” and “immediate action” mean.

Miami Herald Editorial: Where’s Congress on Zika? Nowhere!<http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/article76189922.html>
More than 100 days after the first cases of Zika were reported in Florida, leaders of Congress stubbornly continue to turn a deaf ear to pleas for additional federal funding. The indifference shown by lawmakers in the face of an identifiable health threat is both impossible to ignore and hard to fathom.

President Obama wants $1.9 billion in emergency funding to fight Zika… Yet Congress has resisted this plea for help since February, when President Obama first sought emergency aid.

By last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 472 cases in the continental United States. That’s in addition to 629 cases in Puerto Rico, where the first known death from Zika recently was documented.

And still Republican leaders in Congress, such as Texas Sen. John Cornyn, scoff at the concerns about Zika as “overblown.” He said Zika-aid supporters are asking for a blank check. Not so, senator. Money is needed to pay for mosquito-control efforts, scientific research into the disease and the development of a vaccine, medical care for those infected and educational materials for the public…

Congressional leaders should pay attention. The Zika virus represents a genuine health emergency. Florida and other targeted states need help. This is a time to act, not a time for partisan politics.

Tampa Bay Times Editorial: Prevention, federal cash key to fighting Zika<http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-prevention-federal-cash-key-to-fighting-zika/2275286>
…U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, and several bay area health experts gathered in a Tampa back yard last week to address public health concerns about Zika. The group focused on pregnant women or those who might be thinking about getting pregnant during the summer. Health officials have found that Zika is linked to microcephaly, a birth defect that results in a small head size that could interfere with brain development…

…a silly fight over funding for prevention efforts has broken out in Congress over President Barack Obama's $1.9 billion request to combat Zika in the United States. A request to respond to a public health emergency should not be mired in partisan politics. Lawmakers should re-examine their priorities and put the health of Americans above partisan budget battles.

Palm Beach Post Editorial: State, local health officials need funding to combat virus<http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/news/opinion/editorial-state-local-health-officials-need-fundin/nrHZX/>
We’re several months in since the first alarm bells went off about the mosquito-borne Zika virus possibly making its way here… We’re about three months removed from Gov. Rick Scott taking the appropriate action of declaring a health emergency when the first reports of the frightening disease surfaced in Florida.

That was about the same time that President Barack Obama rightly asked Congress for $1.9 billion to battle the outbreak here, and in Central and Latin America.

We’re still waiting for Congress to take action.

This is not a time for partisan politics… House conservatives are resisting new spending and have raised questions about Obama’s plan for fighting the virus.  People have died. Pregnant women are infected. Time for Congress to act.

Orlando Sentinel Editorial: Don't play politics in Zika fight<http://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/os-ed-zika-funding-congress-20160411-story.html>
…there should be no patience with partisan brinkmanship when public health is at stake.

It's been nearly two months since Obama formally requested that Congress appropriate $1.9 billion to fight the Zika virus. At the time, there were about 50 confirmed cases in the United States of the illness, which has been linked in Latin America to severe birth defects in infants whose mothers were infected during pregnancy.

Congress' GOP leaders have refused to approve that request. Meanwhile, the number of U.S. cases has climbed…

Greensboro News & Record Editorial: Zika action needed<http://www.greensboro.com/opinion/n_and_r_editorials/our-opinion-zika-action-needed/article_69d92ba8-64fd-5d99-959d-3d10b010a3d7.html>
The headline word from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week was “scary.”  “Everything we look at with this virus seems to be a bit scarier than we initially thought,” Anne Schuchat, the agency’s deputy director, told the media.  That’s the Zika virus, which is inflicting terrible harm across Latin America and the Caribbean and possibly heading north.

Yet, the nation isn’t prepared. For starters, if there are few labs that can test for the virus, more are needed soon. The White House called for $1.9 billion in funding, but congressional leaders signaled that additional money will have to wait until September — after the peak mosquito season.

This alarms the American Public Health Association. “There is no time for delay. Congress must act to approve adequate resources to address this public health threat without taking money from other important public health programs,” its executive director, Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, M.D., said in a news release.

AM New York Editorial: Federal government must do more to curb the spread of Zika<http://www.amny.com/opinion/editorial/federal-government-must-do-more-to-curb-the-spread-of-zika-1.11738348>
News about the Zika virus has been spreading quickly. So has fear…

Now the federal government must step up. The White House transferred $510 million allocated for Ebola to fight Zika, as demanded by Republican lawmakers, but the amount is insufficient. Congress should act on President Barack Obama’s request for $1.9 billion for important research on a vaccine, among other needed initiatives.

Zika can be devastating for pregnant women and their babies. The urgency of our government response must match the urgency of the threat to our families.

Everett Herald Editorial: Fund fight against Zika, more<http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20160427/OPINION01/160429254>
It takes little imagination to see the threat posed not only to public health but in the increased costs for prevention, care and treatment that could result from a significant outbreak of Zika in the United States.

Which is why the Obama administration earlier in the year requested up to $1.9 billion in emergency spending from Congress for programs that control the mosquitoes and fund research into potential vaccines and public education programs to limit transmission…That initial request was met with doubts and opposition among Republicans in Congress.

Moving funding through the House could be more difficult. Earlier this month, the Post wrote that House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, told reporters that the government had “plenty of money,” available to fight Zika and that an additional appropriation wasn't necessary… And as long as we're advocating for ounces of prevention against Zika and Ebola, let's recognize the value provided to public health and pocketbook by amply funding the work of state and local health departments.

Youngstown Vindicator Editorial: Zika virus is becoming a public-health crisis in US<http://www.vindy.com/news/2016/may/03/zika-virus-is-becoming-a-public-health-c/>
Last week, the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate refused to deal with the growing public-health emergency triggered by the Zika virus. Let there be no mistake: The virus is spreading through the United States and the territories.

Last February, the Obama administration asked Congress for $1.9 billion in emergency funds to develop a vaccine, top-flight diagnostic tests and rapid- response teams for any Zika clusters that are detected…

But Republicans in control of the Senate and House obviously don’t share the administration’s sense of urgency.

Republicans in Congress are putting the nation at risk by playing political games with the Obama administration’s request for funding to fight the Zika virus.

The American people recognize that Congress is dysfunctional, but they will not sit idly by while the health of the nation is sacrificed at the altar of partisan politics.