Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, the indifference by some in this Congress to a looming public health crisis is truly stunning. This Republican bill cuts the emergency funding request for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by 80 percent. That is $4 out of every $5 it asks for that will be eliminated. The Zika virus is a terrible virus. It eats away at the brain of a fetus and results in a family tragedy of a child who is born with very severe birth defects. It will require costly lifetime care. {time} 1315 Zika can be sexually transmitted, and it has spread to many parts of Texas. We have Texas-tough mosquitoes, and the season is just beginning there. We are on the cusp of an epidemic spreading across our region; meanwhile, the Republicans are refusing to provide the resources to prevent it. Now, I appreciate the very reassuring words that we have been hearing here, but just this morning I sat down and met with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Tom Frieden, and I asked him: What difference does it make that $4 out of every $5 you have asked for are being cut? He said in our discussion: If this Republican bill is approved to deny this vital CDC and NIH funding, we will not be able to develop the tools to diagnose the virus, combat the mosquitoes, and develop a safe and effective vaccine against it.…”