Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster
Sen. Bill Nelson is once again pushing for a vote on the Senate’s $1.1 billion proposal to curb the spread of Zika.
Nelson sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Tuesday, asking him to reconvene the Senate so they can “take up and pass an emergency spending bill” to provide health officials with resources to stop the spread of the virus. If that isn’t possible, Nelson has asked McConnell to use a pro forma session to allow a senator to take up and unanimously approve the Senate’s Zika spending plan.
In May, the Senate approved a $1.1 billion proposal — much higher than the amount the House initially proposed — to stop the spread of Zika. After budget negotiations, the House approved a $1.1 billion plan and sent it back to the Senate for approval.
Senate Democrats blocked measure, faulting Republicans for packing the bill with provisions to defund Planned Parenthood clinics in Puerto Rico and ease rules on pesticide spraying.
Nelson said the Senate has used pro forma sessions to pass bills in the past, and the action is necessary to “protect the American people from this growing public-health crisis.”
“The threat we face from Zika has gone from serious to emergency,” said Nelson. “I urge you to work with Sen. (Harry) Reid and reach an agreement so that I, or another senator, may be recognized in one of the upcoming pro forma session(s) and — barring any objections — send to the House a Zika-funding bill that our health officials need now, more than ever, to stop the spread of the virus. We cannot afford to wait another five weeks for Congress to return.”
Mosquitoes are believed to have infected 14 people with Zika in a small part of Miami. The infections mark the first cases from mosquito bites on the U.S. mainland. Health officials are recommending pregnant women stay away from the Wynwood neighborhood where the virus was transmitted.
