Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) led the following letter to Governor Scott urging him to advocate for a clean Zika funding bill during his visit to Washington, DC.
The letter was signed by: Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27); Rep. Ted S. Deutch (FL-21); Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (FL-20); Rep. Lois Frankel (FL-22); Rep. Patrick Murphy (FL-18); Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14); Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24); Rep. Carlos Curbelo (FL-26); and Rep. Gwen Graham (FL-02).
The full text of the letter is below:
September 13, 2016
Governor Rick Scott
State of Florida
The Capitol
400 S. Monroe St.
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
Dear Governor Scott:
As Members of Congress representing Florida, we urge you to call on Congress to pass a clean Zika supplemental funding bill. Floridians have overcome partisan politics and have stood as a united front against the spread of Zika, and we are asking you to continue this bipartisanship by urging Congressional leadership to provide the funding the President requested.
The stakes are too high to allow partisan riders to hold up this critical support, and existing funding is set to run out by the end of this month. The Director of the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Tom Frieden, stated in no uncertain terms that researchers are dangerously close to running out of money, and that medically, it is unethical for them to begin clinical trials without knowing they can fully complete them. Without increased and sustained funding, Dr. Frieden will have to order researchers to stop before they can identify and test a vaccine.
There are over 300 cases of Zika in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, 84 of which involve pregnant women. For pregnant mothers in areas with Zika, not knowing whether one mosquito bite will dramatically alter their unborn child’s life is a daily fear, especially in South Florida, where mosquitos are year-round inhabitants.
The time to pass a clean funding bill is long overdue. The crisis is no longer on our doorstep – it is now in the homes of too many Floridians and Americans. We hope you will join us in our bipartisan fight for a clean funding bill that will help prevent the spread of the Zika virus and protect the wellbeing of our constituents.
Sincerely,
To view a digital copy of the letter, please click this link.
To read this release online, please click this link.
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