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Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Senate Democrats Block GOP’s Zika Funding Bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a Republican proposal to provide $1.1 billion to fight the Zika virus, faulting the GOP for packing the measure with restrictions on Planned Parenthood money and changes to policies on pesticide spraying.

The nearly party-line 52-48 vote Tuesday left the Senate short of the 60 votes required to advance the measure. What happens next is unclear, though neither side is looking forward to leaving Washington next month for a seven-week vacation without having acted to address the health threat.

Zika is spread mainly by a tropical mosquito and is causing an epidemic in Latin America and the Caribbean. The virus can cause horrible birth defects and is likely to spread further this summer. So far, there’s been no transmission by mosquitoes in the continental U.S.

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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

This was a Billion dollar aid package to South America. The money needed here in the USA, not pissed away on bug research! Glad it was cancelled!

Anonymous said...

How much did we spend on Ebola in Africa. These SOBs running this country don't give a DAMN about you. They just want to take your vote and then your money. GOP should leave it just like it is and when all these pinhead babies start showing up this fall call the Democrats obstructionist. After all the Dems have played that way for years.

Anonymous said...

How many ways do they try to get funding for planned parenthood. I think every time they approve money for something there is money for planned parenthood. Enough already

Anonymous said...

just kill the damn mosquitoes.

Anonymous said...

How about if they start passing things individually instead of lumping a bunch of things together so the pork can be more reasdily hidden?