House Republicans called for federal resources to be directed to Florida on Friday following reports that mosquitoes had likely transmitted Zika virus in four cases.
The Florida Department of Health announced that it had gathered sufficient information to conclude that “a high likelihood exists that four cases are the result of local transmission” in Miami-Dade and Broward counties
“This is exactly what the nation’s top disease fighters alerted Congress about for months,” U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) said. “It’s critical now that we immediately direct all necessary federal resources to this health crisis to protect the public. Millions of Floridians – and Americans at large – are at risk as the hot summer months roll on and mosquitoes continue to spread.”
There were 381 confirmed cases of Zika in Florida at the end of July, including 53 cases involving pregnant women, and a total of 1,658 travel-related cases of Zika reported across the United States.
“Let’s be clear about the people that are most affected by this virus: pregnant mothers and their children,” Buchanan said. “We should be laser-focused on protecting the most vulnerable among us. Florida is ground zero for Zika.”
The House of Representatives approved $1.1 billion in emergency funding for Zika, but the Senate failed to approve a similar measure.
U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) called the news from Florida an “alarming sign” that Zika has started to make its way to the United States.
“We cannot simply stand by and let this virus spread, when we know we have the resources readily available,” Cole said. “The Zika Conference Report is an immediate implementation of response efforts, and sadly, the Democrats have no sense of urgency or a timeline to get this through the Senate. Time and time again we have fought to get this funding of more than $1.1 billion passed in the other chamber, but the Democratic priority has been to ignore our veterans and military, which are included in the same bill, and ignore the threat that is now on our shores.”
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) added that the House acted to combat the spread of Zika and to suspend regulations that would make it easier to kill mosquitoes that could transmit Zika.
“It is shameful that Senate Democrats are playing politics with a disease that threatens millions of Americans, particularly expecting mothers and their children, by blocking a vote on this important legislation,” Scalise said.