Paul Tonko: “I stand here today in this wonderful House with so many of my colleagues to speak forcefully to the issue of unfinished…”

“I stand here today in this wonderful House with so many of my colleagues to speak forcefully to the issue of unfinished business that is continuing to mount. The silence in the House now will be deafening for 52 days. The paralysis caused in the lives of too many shows a gross sense of insensitivity and disrespect. We are asking for action on several bills. We don't think that we should leave for these 52 days and, worse yet, close down session days before it was scheduled to close. We have a Zika virus crisis that is gripping the lives of many, and it is starting to have its presence felt in these United States, issues that will cost us tens of millions of dollars per child because of an inaction to address the Zika virus. We have a crisis in Flint that has not been responded to, where we have walked away from families and their needs for the given need of drinking water. I have a bill, the Aqua bill, that we need to address on this House floor. Let's do our business. Let's not walk away from our responsibilities. Let's be sensitive to America. No vacation if we have not done our work. ____________________”