Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out against the paralysis in Congress over funding Zika virus eradication efforts. I have been warning my colleagues in Congress for months that the Zika virus would severely impact our Nation, and especially south Florida, the gateway to the Americas. And while Washington has slumbered through the late summer, it has been a busy August in south Florida dealing with the fallout. It is because of Federal inaction that now Miami-Dade County will be spending $10 million of our own budget to cover for some of the expenses in the fight against Zika. Back in February, I cosponsored four bills to help start comprehensive preparations for the virus' arrival, including opening up funding sources for mosquito control, freeing the administration to reprogram unspent Ebola funds for fighting Zika, and incentivizing pharmaceutical companies to begin developing treatments and vaccines for Zika. In March, I requested that $177 million be made available specifically for aid to local mosquito control programs, extra funding for the CDC's Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, and new dollars for innovative mosquito control tool development. In April, I voted in favor of using the FDA's Priority Review Voucher Program to incentivize Zika virus treatment development. In May, I voted to give State and local authorities a temporary waiver providing more flexibility in using EPA-approved insecticides for mosquito control.…”