Janice Hahn: “A little over an hour ago, we finished voting. Right now, most of my Republican colleagues are leaving Washington for…”

“A little over an hour ago, we finished voting. Right now, most of my Republican colleagues are leaving Washington for the longest summer recess in 60 years. Many Americans will be surprised to hear this. There are so many issues we have yet to address. Do my Republican colleagues actually think we have earned this break? We are well into mosquito season and Congress has yet to provide meaningful emergency funding to battle the spread of Zika. In the United States, we already have seen 560 cases of Zika in pregnant women and 7 babies already born with birth defects. My Republican colleagues are leaving Washington without providing any aid to help the thousands of children suffering lead poisoning in Flint, Michigan. My colleagues are taking a 2-month vacation without lifting a finger to act on lifesaving, commonsense legislation to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists and criminals. God forbid there will be another mass shooting in the next 2 months. The American people will have a sick feeling knowing that Congress did nothing to try to prevent it. The American people deserve better than that. We did not earn this recess, and I urge my Republican colleagues to cancel their vacations until we tackle these issues. ____________________”