Washington, D.C. — Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, issued the following statement in response to the calls for the Senate to return to secure Zika funding that the House of Representatives passed back in June.

“For months now Senate Democrats and the Obama Administration have been stressing the dire threat Zika poses to the United States. And in return, their response was to vote down funding for their own priority that was already passed by the House. Actions speak louder than words. The combined actions of Senate Democrats and the Obama Administration make it difficult to see their actions as anything other than political gamesmanship.

“Now this alarming virus has infected over 40 of our U.S. military service members and nearly 6,000 Americans in U.S. states and territories.  It’s time for the Senate to act to secure the funding that the House of Representatives passed back in June to combat Zika before this public health crisis spirals any further out of control.”

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