Zika Cases Grow But GOP Leaders Feel No Urgency To Act

I don't imagine the people of South Florida are too happy with the Republican-led Congress these days. As new reports of an expanding number of Zika cases come in and the CDC issues a travel advisory for a community north of Miami, Congress remains in recess until after Labor Day. President Obama had asked for nearly $2 billion to fight the virus earlier this year but the Senate passed a bill that appropriated a bit more than half that amount and the House version was nearly half of the Senate's. After weeks of wrangling a $1.1 billion bill that was loaded up with toxic amendments ranging from contraception and Obamacare to the Confederate flag, of all things, was unable to pass and Congress adjourned for the summer having appropriated nothing to fight Zika. The administration acted by moving over half a billion dollars from efforts to fight Ebola to the Zika fight but that money will run out this month and any progress on vaccines or other Zika-fighting measures will be stopped or slowed.

Meanwhile, the number of Zika cases in Florida pales in comparison to the explosion of cases in Puerto Rico. And it will only get worse on the island troubled by economic collapse, distrust of the government's chaotic response to the virus, and an apparent lack of urgency among the population.

Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell continue to insist that there is no hurry for Congress to address the issue and point to the couple of hundred million dollars that was transferred from Ebola that has still not been spent. But as the money starts to run out this month and the virus continues to spread, especially in the continental US, that position will become harder and harder to defend as will their lack of action in providing the funds necessary to fight this virus earlier in the year. After all, the course of this virus was predicted a long time ago and everyone knew the day was coming when it would reach the United States. But, as usual these days, the dysfunction in the Republican party kept the responsible thing from being done and the people of the United States will suffer the consequences.