Congress Must Reconvene and Enact ZIKA Funding by Passing $1.1 Billion Senate ZIKA Funding Bill By Unanimous Consent

Yesterday it was recorded that Texas had it first ZIKA related death and there is no answer to how far the ZIKA virus will spread" says Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee WASHINGTON DC  Congresswoman Sheila Jackson lee a Senior Member of the House Homeland Security Committee released the following statement today in response to news that it has been confirmed that an infant who recently died in Harris County had microcephaly linked to the Zika virus. The baby passed away shortly after birth and is the first Zika-related death reported in Texas. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee released the following statement:

Today I am renewing my request that Speaker Ryan  exercise his authority and convene the House immediately to take up and pass by unanimous consent the bipartisan $1.1 billion Zika Emergency Supplemental Appropriation passed by the Senate on May 19 2016 by the overwhelming vote of 89-8. In the time that has elapsed since the Senate passed the $1.1 billion Zika emergency supplemental we have learned that there are 97 reported Zika cases in the state of Texas including 14 in Houston in my congressional district. In addition we have now seen the occurrence of homegrown Zika transmission by mosquitoes in Miami-Dade County Florida. The GOP Congress must reconvene and enact Zika funding by passing through unanimous consent the Senate Zika funding bill of $1.1 billion. This must happen this week and this must happen NOW!!! As an emergency supplemental appropriations legislation passed in response to a public health emergency this desperately needed funding is not subject to budgetary caps and do not require an offset. Yesterday it was recorded that Texas had it first Zika related death and there is no answer to how far the Zika virus will spread. More than six months ago President Obama presented Congress with an emergency request of $1.9 billion in emergency resources to protect American families from the Zika virus. Unfortunately over the last five months despite the pleas of top U.S. public health officials Republicans have failed to responsibly respond to the Presidents emergency request instead playing political games. It has been confirmed that an infant who recently died in Harris County had microcephaly linked to the Zika virus. The baby passed away shortly after birth and is the first Zika-related death reported in Texas. During these five months of lack of responsible action by the GOP Congress the number of cases of the Zika virus has grown.  There are currently 6408 confirmed Zika cases in the U.S. and its territories with 1657 cases in the 50 states and 4750 cases in U.S. territories primarily Puerto Rico.  Of the 1657 cases in the 50 states 433 of them are pregnant women.  Of the 4750 cases in U.S. territories 422 of them are pregnant women. Incredibly on July 14 without having successfully enacted any funding to fight Zika Republicans then left town to begin a seven-week recess:  the longest summer Congressional recess in at least 60 years. Then on July 29 the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed the first-ever transmission of the Zika virus by local mosquitoes in the continental United States with four confirmed cases of local transmission in Florida. On August 1 the State of Florida announced that there were an additional 10 likely cases of local transmission of Zika in Florida bringing the total number of cases of local transmission of Zika to 14.  Apparently all of these 14 cases stem from the same one-square-mile area north of downtown Miami. In response to the 14 cases of local transmission of Zika the CDC issued a travel advisory urging pregnant women not to travel to this Miami neighborhood that is of concern. Now that the CDC has confirmed that mosquitoes in Florida are spreading the disease on their own we have entered a new dangerous stage in Zikas spread in the United States. In light of this growing danger it is imperative that the Republican Leadership immediately reconvene the Congress to pass by unanimous consent the bipartisan Zika funding bill that passed the Senate by a vote of 89 to 8 on May 19 a bill that provides $1.1 billion in emergency resources to fight the Zika virus with no poison pills.  Having won such strong bipartisan support in the Senate back in May there is no reason the Congress cant pass this legislation and immediately get it on the Presidents desk for his signature.  There is no time to waste."