Zika: Cases rise in Miami, Clinton tells Congress to come back
The democratic nominee urged Congress to return and hammer out a new compromise as Zika cases rise to 121 infected people.
Hillary Clinton urged Congress to return to Washington and approve Zika funding for treatment, research and testing.
Her response echoes that of many Congressional Democrats, who are frustrated the House left for vacation without passing viable legislation to fund Zika efforts. The House also rejected President Obama's request for $1.9 billion and the Senate compromise of $1.1 billion.
Clinton called a Wynwood clinic she stopped at on the campaign trail the "front lines" in the fight against Zika, and urged Congress to "immediately come back to session to resolve this."
While Miami is the first U.S. city to be affected by Zika - it certainly won't be the last without extensive push to curtail the spread of the virus, Clinton said. The Wynwood neighborhood is also the first U.S. area to be issued a federal travel advisory warning for pregnant woman.
As of Tuesday, Mayor Carlos Gimenez said there are 121 residents with Zika in Miami-Dade - 15 who contracted it locally. However, that number has since increased to 4 more locally-contracted cases. The latest stats place over 1,800 cases of Zika in the U.S., including the recent confirmation of 46 infected people in Illinois.
[Also: HHS shifts $42 million to Zika fight, money previously set aside for Ebola response]
"I disagree with those who say Zika is an insignificant issue," Clinton said. "This is something we need to take seriously."
The remarks are seemingly a jab at Donald Trump, whose campaign official called Zika an "insignificant issue" to the Boston Globe in June.
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell has already told Congress that Zika funds, including those transferred from Ebola funding, are quickly running out. The result of which is a delay in testing Zika vaccines.
"Pass the bipartisan bill from the Senate or come up with a new compromise that does the same and tries to get resources moving as quickly as possible," Clinton said. "We don't want to wake up in a year and read so many more stories. We just shouldn't tolerate that."
Twitter: @JessiefDavis
