Political Quotes

“Mr. President, if this isn't an emergency, then I don't know what is. Zika is a public health emergency. It defines a public health emergency, and we really have to act now to fund the administration's full $1.9 billion supplemental funding request. I want to respond to the assistant majority leader's concerns that there is no plan. With due respect--and I know he is working hard on this as well--that is just not accurate. The legislation propounded by Senators Nelson and others has a very specific plan. I was fortunate enough to visit the headquarters for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. They have a very specific plan. It is vector controlled. It is developing the diagnostic tests necessary to figure out whether or not people are carriers of the Zika virus. It is working on a vaccine. They have a high degree of confidence that they are eventually going to get a vaccine. But this takes time, and this takes resources. It is public health outreach regarding mosquitos and how this is transmitted, and it is assurance regarding the safety of our blood supply. So they have a plan. Let me be a little more specific: $743 million for CDC--this money would include grants and technical assistance to Puerto Rico and the U.S.…”