Al Franken: “Thank you. Finally--see, I was going to say ``finally'' anyway. Finally, the bill even waives permitting requirements…”

“Thank you. Finally--see, I was going to say ``finally'' anyway. Finally, the bill even waives permitting requirements when it comes to applying pesticides near bodies of water. This clean water requirement was intended to protect people from toxic substances, particularly pregnant women, children, and other vulnerable populations. But my colleagues are mischaracterizing our objection to this rider. In fact, one of my colleagues went to the Senate floor recently and accused the Democrats of being ``more focused on protecting the mosquito than they are protecting people.'' That is just absurd. To sum up, my Democratic colleagues and I supported the Senate bill to fund the fight against a devastating disease, and Republicans decided to politicize this issue by sending back a conference report that was filled with partisan policy riders. Every day that we don't act, this virus continues to spread. And, in the meantime, the Republican leader has not given any indications that he plans to change course. In fact, he said he plans to bring up the same exact partisan bill that was defeated last week. The President has already threatened to veto this bill, so another vote would be useless. I urge my Republican colleagues: Please, please stop playing partisan politics, and let's pass something meaningful to address this crisis. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.”