Political Quotes

“I have listened attentively to the debate over the last 15 minutes about Zika, and it has been very entertaining to me. But it has also been interesting just to hear the numbers being thrown around. There is a series of numbers being thrown around as if it is an apples-to-apples comparison. So let me try to break down a few things with an apples-to-apples comparison about Zika and the funding. The President has asked for $1.9 billion for Zika. The Senate has now responded back to say: We will do the $500 million the President has already moved over from Ebola funding and add to it $1.1 billion to come up with about $1.6 billion--almost $1.7 billion--so about $200 million short, which is being declared as grossly inadequate. That is 0.2 short from what the President had asked for. There is also being thrown around the House proposal, saying the House proposal is grossly inadequate to be able to cover what is being discussed there because it is a little over $600 million. The President wants $1.9 billion, and the House is offering $600 million. But what is not being stated is that what the Senate has done and what the President has asked for is $1.9 billion over 2 years. The House has said a little over $600 million this year and added to the Ebola funding that was already there--meaning $1.1 billion this year and then in our normal appropriations process to take it up again next year. It may be the same amount.…”