Political Quotes

“first of all, let me begin by saying how encouraged I am that we are finally seeing some action here in Congress dealing with the Zika virus. Today, we have not one but three separate proposals to deal with this which are going to come up for a vote. I support fully funding the request made. People say the President's request. Fine, it came from the White House. But it is really the scientists' request, the doctors' request, and the public health sector's request for how to address this issue. The fundamental point I make is twofold. We can pay for it. We can find $1.9 billion. By the way, we can always come back later and find it, too, although I know that is hard to see happening here in Washington. But this is a public health emergency that cannot wait for this extended debate on this issue, especially when you talk about an $18 trillion debt. Zika funding is not the reason why we have an $18 trillion debt. It is not the national driver of our debt. That is why dealing with the long-term security of Medicare and Social Security is so critical. But we can pay for $1.9 billion, and we should. But it is public health experts who have said the amount we need is $1.9 billion. I continue to urge my colleagues to take this with the sense of urgency that the public health experts have. The people I have met with, the people I have interacted with, and the people I have been talking to are not political people.…”