In a trip to Washington, Florida Gov. Rick Scott continued Wednesday to pressure lawmakers to pass a funding bill to help fight the spread of the Zika virus.
- 5 new travel-related Zika cases reported Wednesday
- Florida total up to 805 cases
- Lawmakers said they were close to a deal Tuesday
“I’m up here because I want Congress to act soon. I want them to act today,” Scott said. “I know there is a process, but everyone I’ve talked to is very, very supportive.”
Five new travel-related cases of Zika were reported by the Florida Department of Health on Wednesday. That brings the statewide number of cases to 805, with 71 counted as non-travel related.
Many of the lawmakers Scott has met with on his trip so far were part of a bipartisan contingent that held a news conference Tuesday, pushing for the passage of House Bill 5958.
But Scott, however, said he is not pleased with one lawmaker in particular.
“I’m extremely disappointed in Sen. Bill Nelson, who last week turned his back on Florida’s pregnant women by voting against a $1.1 billion bill,” Scott said.
Nelson, like other Democrats, has cited partisan riders as his reason for voting "no."
“Just as we’re about to reach a deal to pass a clean emergency Zika funding bill, the governor chooses to fly up here and stir things up politically,” Nelson said. “He should know better. This is a serious situation, not a time for partisan politics.”
Both Scott and Nelson remain seemingly at odds while both calling for a bipartisan effort to get funding passed. That action could now happen as part of a continuing resolution to fund the government through Dec. 9.