WASHINGTON – In an effort to press for federal funding to combat the Zika virus, Representative David Jolly (R-Fla.) appeared on the House floor with a jar of mosquitoes and a message.
“Can you imagine the fear if these mosquitoes were outside the jar and not inside it?” he says.
Rep. Jolly (R-FL) explains that the jar is filled with 100 Aedes aegypti mosquitoes from his state that are capable of carrying the Zika virus.
“This is the reason for the urgency,” he says. “This is the reason for the fear.”
Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a $1.1 billion bill to combat the Zika virus.
They opposed provisions in the bill that would have blocked funding for Planned Parenthood and that would have allowed Confederate flags to fly at military veteran cemeteries.
The vote failed 52 to 46. It needed 60 votes to advance.
