Despite multiple warnings, 170 House Republicans - 95 percent of its members - this summer opposed funds to help families, schools, and businesses prepare for the H1N1 flu outbreak, which has been declared a national emergency. In stark contrast, 221 House Democrats, and 91 members of the Senate including 90 percent of Senate Republicans voted to fund H1N1 vaccines.
"The families, schools, and businesses fighting against the H1N1 flu pandemic deserve better than House Republicans' reckless, knee jerk partisanship and just-say-no approach to helping prepare for this national emergency," said Ryan Rudominer, National Press Secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
BACKGROUND
- Earlier this year, 170 House Republicans (95 percent), opposed the Supplemental Appropriations Bill, which invested $2 billion to help the government fight the current H1N1 outbreak and to allow for further pandemic flu preparedness and response capacity. [H.R. 2346, #348, 6/16/09]
- In June, 91 members of the Senate, including 36 Senate Republicans (90 percent), supported the Supplemental Appropriations Bill, which invested $2 billion to help the government fight the current H1N1 outbreak and to allow for further pandemic flu preparedness and response capacity. [Senate Vote on Conference Report: H.R. 2346: Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009, Senate Vote #210 in 2009]
- President Obama has declared the H1N1 flu a national emergency. [Washington Post, 10/25/09]
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday that the H1N1 flu was spreading widely in at least 46 states and had already caused the hospitalization of at least 20,000 Americans. More than 1,000 deaths have been attributed to the virus and more than 2,400 additional deaths were probably associated with it, officials said. [Washington Post, 10/25/09]
Surely no one is surprised that our own Geoff Davis voted against the bill that included the H1N1 funding.
