Post by bot on Aug 14, 2016 14:21:54 GMT -5
Hoyer Tours Miami Neighborhood Impacted by Zika with Rep. Frederica Wilson
Washington, DC – Today, Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) joined Rep. Frederica Wilson (FL-24) for a tour of the Little Haiti section of Miami to meet with small business owners and encourage residents to get screened for exposure to the Zika virus. Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an unprecedented travel warning for pregnant women to avoid the Wynwood neighborhood, to the immediate south of Little Haiti, where the agency detected local mosquito-borne transmission of the virus. Hoyer and Wilson met with local residents to hear about how they and their businesses have been impacted by the Zika travel warning.
“Zika represents a clear and present public health danger,” Whip Hoyer said, “It is unconscionable that House Republicans would send Congress home without allowing a vote on the Senate’s Murray-Blunt compromise to provide critical funding for vaccine research, diagnostic testing, and mosquito vector control. The bill they earlier brought to the Floor was riddled with partisan riders that jeopardize women’s access to health care and included partisan offsets that failed to deal seriously with the challenge Zika poses. Congress has a responsibility to ensure that the American people are safe from Zika, and House Democrats will continue to urge the Speaker and Majority Leader to allow the House to act on the President’s request for emergency supplemental funding.”
“It was an honor to have Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, my friend and colleague, join me today as we walked through Little Haiti to educate residents and business owners about the Zika virus and its devastating affects on pregnant women. Little Haiti borders the Wynwood area where over 20 mosquito-borne Zika cases have been confirmed. So, it was important for us to reach out to people in Little Haiti and warn them to protect themselves,” said Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, “Whip Hoyer added a sense of urgency and importance to our Zika awareness and prevention efforts here in Miami. His call for Congress to return early from recess and pass a clean Zika bill increased the importance for Speaker Paul Ryan to take action in response to this growing threat. I thank him for coming all the way from Maryland to be with us.”