In June, Blunt attended campaign fundraisers instead of final Zika negotiations
Before the Republican-led Senate took off on its seven-week recess, Senator Roy Blunt bragged about his “leadership” role on the Senate’s efforts to pass a Zika funding bill – the one that ultimately failed when Republicans loaded the emergency spending bill with poison pills that would have restricted funding for women’s health centers and cut back on funding for Ebola. However, Senator Blunt was unaware of those changes – he chose instead to attend two fundraisers during the Zika bill’s final negotiations. Senator Blunt still won’t accept responsibility – and now he won’t even cut his recess short for an emergency session to address the growing public health crisis.
In comments to radio station KMOX, Blunt claimed that “there’s no reason to have a special session” of Congress. Americans in Florida who are facing a rapidly spreading Zika crisis might disagree.
“The emergency spending bill died while Senator Blunt was raising money at not one but two DC fundraisers, and now he can’t be bothered to cut a seven-week recess short to do his job,” said Lauren Passalacqua, DSCC National Press Secretary. “Senator Blunt’s claim that there’s no reason to return to Washington to pass a Zika funding bill reveals just how out-of-touch he is with Missourians, and voters will remember his disregard for a growing public health crisis in November.”
