Pelosi Remarks at Press Conference Calling for Urgent Action to Fight Zika Virus

Contact: Drew Hammill/Evangeline George, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks today at a press conference with Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and House and Senate Democratic leaders to call on Republicans to immediately approve the President’s emergency supplemental request to fight the Zika virus. Below are the Leader’s remarks followed by the question and answer session:

“Thank you very much, Leader Reid, for your leadership on this issue and your courage to fight this fight for public health in our country and beyond to protect the American people.

“The issue of public health is a compact that we have among the people of our country and the public sector – to be there to protect, to prevent, to keep our country healthy. As you said, Mr. Leader, two months ago, the President made a full request for Zika funding. Five weeks ago on a Wednesday before we left for Easter break, we called upon the Republicans in the House of Representatives not to leave for that long three week break in the House without having funding for Zika, for Flint, for opioids. Just focusing on Zika right now, what we know is that there are already 900 Americans – more than 80 pregnant women with confirmed cases of Zika in our own country. We’re headed to another week of recess which we should not take unless we act.

“I’m very proud of the work of my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee – our Ranking Member Nita Lowey has proposed the full funding for Zika over and over again [only] to be rejected. She will speak to that as will Rosa DeLauro. But again, earlier this month, Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee voted to block emergency funding to protect Americans on the very same day that the CDC confirmed the virus causes irreversible birth defects. Republicans voted for a second time to block emergency funding [in committee] and they will again today [on the floor] as they have done in committee.

“We’re saying to our Republican colleagues: Do your job. Don’t recess without acting to address the growing danger of Zika in our country. Do your job. Stop standing in the way of emergency action. We need to protect American families. Do your job. Join us swiftly for full funding of the President’s request for emergency Zika funding.

“With that, I’m very pleased to yield to the very distinguished ranking Member, former chair of the Appropriations Committee, Congresswoman – excuse me, she used to be [a congresswoman]. There was a day. And fellow [Institute of Notre Dame] graduate – we went to the same high school, Senator Mikulski.”

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Q: Senator Reid, as you know, Senator Murray’s working with Republicans on a supplemental a little smaller than the White House request. Is it your position that it’s $1.9 billion, the full request, or nothing? Or might you be able to support something in the area that she’s been working on?

Leader Reid. Republicans are in the majority in the Senate and in the House. And it’s their responsibility to bring a bill forward. We believe $1.9 billion is an appropriate number, as has been outlined by everyone but more particularly, by Senator Murray, who has been heavily involved in this, as has Senator Mikulski. Let them bring something forward. This has been talk – as Senator Murray had just mentioned, we haven’t heard anything from them for a week. I’ve never seen a piece of paper with anything on it. So, it’s their responsibility to come forward with something, and it is imperative that it be done now.

Q: Senator Reid, some Republicans want this money to be offset to pay for – and budget cuts to pay for this. Why not…

Leader Reid. Manu, here’s where we are: if this is not an emergency, there is nothing that is. No flood, no earthquake, no fire – nothing would be an emergency if this is not. This is, under tradition and precedent and common sense – it’s an emergency.

Q: Would you accept any offsets?

Leader Reid. We should have no offset.

Leader Pelosi. Leader, if I just may – at the very same time as they are asking for offsets for an emergency like Zika, they are asking for offsets for Flint, they’re often asking for offsets for opioids – and it’s just not enough to offset. This is a lamb eat lamb situation. We’re down to budget priorities that cannot be cut further. And that’s why we in the House have said to the Speaker: we need an emergency supplemental bill, in order to cover Zika, Flint and opioids – because if you take all of those and fund offsets, you will seriously undermine our investments in the future.

And in terms of Ebola, it’s really hard to say what is less wise – I’m trying to be euphemistic in my terms – to say, ‘We’re not going to fully fund the President’s request for Zika’ or ‘we’re not going to fund the President’s request for Zika and by the way, we’re taking other money we may need from Ebola.’ As if just by a stroke of a pen, the threat that Ebola poses and the need for us to address it offshore goes away.

And so, that’s why we’re saying, ‘You want to do it as an emergency in any vehicle you can come up with but don’t say: we know better how much you need,’ when we’re talking about a public health threat that is carried by a mosquito – as Senator Mikulski said – that knows no fences, no walls and isn’t going to pay for it. It’s a public health menace that is carried by a mosquito, that is transmitted sexually, that does horrible damage to pregnant women – expectant moms – and babies to come. And it must be addressed.

No wonder people have the frustration they have when we cannot even honor our responsibilities with such an apparent threat to the public health of our country.

Leader Reid. Okay. Thanks, everybody.

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