Editorials Discuss Congressional Inaction On U.S. Zika Response

San Francisco Chronicle: Congress needs to fund the fight against the Zika virus
Editorial Board

“….The feuding [between congressional Democrats and Republicans] needs a compromise ending, not more delays … There’s reason to hope this impasse will fade. Elections are coming, and lawmakers don’t want to face voters fearful of the virus’s effects on pregnant women. … Health experts have tracked the virus, which can cause severe birth defects, but have run out of money to widen their efforts. To know both the cause and location of a health danger — and then do nothing — amounts to negligence. The inaction has real consequences that is widening the physical harm done by invading mosquitoes. Congress needs to fulfill its obligation to public health” (9/7).

Wall Street Journal: The Patrick Murphy Zika Filibuster
Editorial Board

“…On Tuesday Senate Democrats for the third time this year filibustered the Zika rescue legislation … Democrats [say] that the bill ‘bans’ Zika money from flowing to Planned Parenthood and its Profamilia affiliate in Puerto Rico. This is a transparent falsehood … The likelihood at this point is that Zika funding gets rolled into a short-term budget bill to keep the government funded after Sept. 30. Still, what a disgrace” (9/8).

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