Dems Refuse to Back GOP Zika Bill that Attacks Women, Vets, Obamacare, and Clean Water

Senate Republicans are being accused of politicizing a major public health crisis on Tuesday after a bill to fund Zika virus research failed because the GOP packed the legislation with “extreme and unnecessary partisan priorities.”

“In a 52-48 vote, the Senate fell eight votes short of moving past a procedural hurdle against the House-Senate conference report on a military and veterans spending bill, which includes $1.1 billion to fund the Zika virus research,” The Hill reports.

Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) reportedly broke with his party and voted for the deal while GOP Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) voted against. As The Hill notes, “McConnell’s ‘no’ vote allows him to bring the measure back up for another vote.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) took to social media to express her disgust for the legislation and lawmakers behind it.

According to Warren, not only does the bill provide $800 million less than the White House had requested—stealing money from both the Ebola response fund and the Affordable Care Act healthcare exchanges—but it also “blocks Planned Parenthood from receiving birth control grant money that would help poor women with Zika avoid having deformed babies,” rolls back Clean Water Act requirements designed to keep pesticides out of drinking water, and slashes U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs funding by $500 million.