Mr. President, today I join many of my colleagues who have come to the floor to implore the leadership and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to work with us to address critical matters facing our Nation. From failing to provide the necessary funding to combat the Zika virus and our Nation's opioid epidemic to failing to even consider a candidate for the Highest Court in the land, or legislation to curb gun violence and address college costs and the student debt crisis--we must act on all of these measures, and we must do it promptly. We are entrusted by the American people to find solutions for difficult, hard-to-fix problems, not to ignore them at almost every turn. I have heard from people of all persuasions, reaching out, urging Congress to take action. So I come here today to remind my colleagues across the aisle, and my colleagues within my caucus, that we all must do our job. That message has come through loud and clear from the American public, and we have to put those words into action. For more than 8 months, we have seen, for example, the harmful effects of the Zika virus. We have seen its heartbreaking impact on newborns, women, and families and deepened our understanding of the suffering this virus causes. Pregnancies have been lost. We have seen children born with permanent birth defects that could have been avoided.…
On the recordSeptember 15, 2016
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