Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I listened carefully to the statement made by the Republican leader, Senator McConnell, about the Zika crisis we face. I would like to give the Members of the Senate and those who are following this debate an update of what occurred in the United States of America between the time we adjourned and now returned to this session of the U.S. Senate. The last time I came to the floor to speak in July to talk about Zika, there were 3,667 people in the United States and U.S. territories who had Zika infections. Included in that number, 599 pregnant women. As of late last week, that number has skyrocketed. There are now 17,000 people infected with Zika in the United States and its territories. That is a fourfold increase over the 7 weeks since we left for recess. It included 1,595 pregnant women. I say to the Republican majority: You have been warned by the President, by public health experts, and others that your failure to respond to the President's request for resources would endanger people living in the United States and its territories and especially pregnant women. Yet the Republican leadership has refused the President's efforts to provide the resources necessary to fight this deadly Zika virus. The numbers are devastating but not surprising. It was last February--7 months ago--when the President asked Congress for $1.9 billion in emergency funding so public health experts would have the resources they needed to fight Zika.…”