Senate Republicans and Democrats continued their long-standing traditions of gridlock by defeating a $1.1 billion dollar proposal to help in the fight against the Zika virus. Of course, Republicans blamed Democrats and vice versa.
The Democrats argued that Republicans killed the funding by attaching proposals to the bill that would defund Planned Parenthood and allowing Confederate flags to be flown at the cemeteries’ of veterans. Obviously, Democrats will kill any bill that contains any type of language to cut or defund Planned Parenthood. How or why the Confederate flag issue was attached to fund the fight against the Zika virus remains a mystery.
According to Senate minority leader Harry Reid, the Democrats have fought long and hard to convince Senate Republicans that the Zika virus is a threat to everyone and not just an impending threat to the health of pregnant women.
Reid claims that Republicans are more interesting in attacking Planned Parenthood than fighting the imminent threat from the Zika virus. This is the third time this year that funding to fight the Zika virus died due to partisan politics in both the House and the Senate.
President Obama has made it very certain that he will veto any bill that contains any language to defund or kill Planned Parenthood. Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House, attacked Senate Democrats for not rubber stamping the language used to kill Planned Parenthood. Speaker Ryan accused Senate Democrats of politicizing the current Zika crisis.