Senate Democrats block Zika deal ahead of recess

[DonViejo]

Source: The Hill

Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a deal to fight the Zika virus, virtually guaranteeing Congress won't get a deal to President Obama's desk this month.

The Senate voted 52-48 on a procedural hurdle for the House-Senate conference report on a military and veterans spending bill, which includes $1.1 billion to fund the Zika virus research. Sixty votes were needed to move forward with the legislation.

The votes leaves the current fight over the Zika virus at a standstill with days left before the July 4th recess.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told reporters Tuesday that "there's not going to be another opportunity to deal with this for the near future."

-snip-

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/285156-senate-democrats-block-zika-deal-ahead-of-recess

[rurallib]

1. loaded with Repub poison pills

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said the agreement is "the most irresponsible legislation I have ever seen in my 34 years in Congress."

"I don't know what planet my friend the Republican leader is living on," he added. "[The] conference report is nothing more than a goody bag for the fringes of the Republican Party."

same article - hope we can steal a couple more paragraphs

[Human101948]

2. These guys are on vacation more than they work...

Congress Got 239 Days Off This Year, Workers Are Guaranteed Zero
Congress has just eight days on the job between now and the start of the next session on January 7, with the House coming back on Monday and adjourning for the year by December 13 and the Senate returning on December 9 only to most likely adjourn for the year on December 20. In total, the House will have had 239 days off this year with even more scheduled for next year...

....The U.S. also lags developed peers in other kinds of paid time off. It is the only one out of the top 15 most competitive that doesn’t guarantee paid sick days, which leaves 40 percent of private sector workers out of paid leave. Those who do get paid sick days also get fewer of them than two decades ago. The country is even more lonely when it comes to maternity leave to take care of a new child, joining just three countries out of 178 in failing to guarantee paid time off. Fathers similarly get no guarantee of paid time off when a new child arrives.

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/12/02/3009951/congress-vacation/

[harun]

9. They need time for Corporate Retreats and Fundraising.

[Igel]

3. I suspect I'd have posted a different set of paragraphs.

No matter. The bill's blocked.

"The sword is fallen on, compromise is avoided, purity is protected, so whatever happens isn't our fault but the other party's."
-- said everyone involved, publicly frowning but privately grinning.

[LiberalFighter]

10. Same here. When Planned Parenthood was a Republican poison pill.

[gademocrat7]

5. This bill was beyond terrible.

[DemonGoddess]

6. So, in order to get funding for this

very real health emergency, the Rethugs want to defund PP and anything else having to do with women's health, among other things. I can see why this was defeated.

[yeoman6987]

7. Why don't they use the Ebola funding that's left over? So frustrating

Both sides are not willing to do the right thing. That funding is the easiest way to get the funding.

[greymattermom]

8. It's ironic that this virus is spreading from south to north

and, if you look at any map, you know it will impact red states first. Then what?

[rladdi]

11. The Democrats should block ever bill until McConnell allows a vote on SC Garland.

$1.1 billions is peanuts to fight the Zika virus. The GOP is not serious but only wants to get a bill passed

[Nihil]

12. What a crock of a headline ...

It was a military spending bill that had one extra unnecessary "rider"
referencing Zika funding in with all of the other unnecessary pork barrel "riders"
that the Republicans (and their equally corrupt D counterparts) had added.