WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today issued the following statement regarding the Senate’s failure to reach cloture on the MILCON-VA/Zika conference report:
“Senate Democrats’ decision to play politics with critical funding for our military and veterans is dangerous and disheartening. This vote is an affront to these service men and women who sacrifice so much to keep us safe, and a reckless game to play with our veterans and public health,” said Senator Capito. “This conference report includes record funding for America’s veterans. It contains provisions to help veterans overcome drug addiction and to reduce claims backlogs at the VA. It also includes $1.1 billion to tackle the Zika virus – a growing threat here in the United States. The safety and health of Americans should be our number one priority. Sadly, Democrats today have chosen to prioritize politics over the American people.”
Senator Capito served as a member of the conference committee that merged several Senate and House appropriations bills into the MILCON-VA/Zika conference report. The $1.1 billion funding amount for Zika response, which Democrats objected to today, is the same amount that Senate Democrats supported in an amendment that passed the full Senate last month.
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