Today, lead our senators along the road of humility so that you can exalt them in due time. May they have the wisdom to reap the bountiful harvest that comes from planting the seeds of lowliness and reverential awe. Lord, make them wise and strong, as they face National Challenges that threaten our freedoms. Guide them, strong deliverer, for they are pilgrims in time who are headed for eternity. Continue in everything to work for the good of those who love you, who are called according to your purposes. Keep us, o god, so dedicated to you and your purposes that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you. We pray in your majestic name. Amen. The president pro tempore pleae join me in reciting the pledge f allegiance to our flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President . The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell today the city of dallas will hold a Memorial Service in honor of the five Police Officers slain in the senseless shooting during last weeks peaceful protest. The victims who are, like Law Enforcement officers in each of our communities, willingly put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe. Their loss is a tragic reminder of the courage and selflessness they possess. Just as it is a reminder of the burden their families bear on our behalf, today we remember each of them. I know i speak for the entire senate in saying our hearts are with the families and friends of each of these victims, the others wounded, the entire Law Enforcement community, and the city of dallas. Our nation experienced a great deal of suffering and heartbreak last week. We must come together now to overcome these tragedies and allow healing to prevail. Mr. President , on an entirely different matter, angie was a beautiful girl with a heart of gold and a smile that would light up a room before her life was changed by heroin. Angie described her addiction to her mother saying, mom, i need this drug like i need air to breathe. It would take angie experiencing an overdose and her mom begging her to quit before she agreed to seek treatment. Unfortunately, though, like so many addicts, angie left the Treatment Facility and started using again. She told her mother, im in a black hole, and i cant get out. Angie would end up dying from an overdose, her body dumped callously at the bottom of a muddy creek by her drug dealer. Tragically, angies story is just one glimpse into the widespread prescription opioid and heroin epidemic sweeping our country. In fact, Drug Overdoses now claim 129 lives a day in america. The families of these victims know more must be done to prevent others from enduring the pain of drug addiction and overdose. Antidrug groups and Law Enforcement officials also know more must be done to prevent the widespread loss communities have experienced at the hands of this crisis. Thats why nearly 250 antidrug and Law Enforcement groups across the country have voiced their support for the comprehensive addiction and recovery act conference report. Just last week, these groups collectively sent a letter urging passage of this legislation, which they called a truly comprehensive response to the Opioid Epidemic. That represents the Critical Response we need. These groups represent states from coast to coast, from life house Recovery Connection in california to justice and recovery advocates in maryland to friends of recovery in new york, among dozens and dozens of others. Theyve seen the crisis firsthand, and they know the positive impact this bipartisan comprehensive response can have. Heres what i mean the National Association of counties and the National League of cities have asked congress to act quickly and pass the cara conference report. They call it a pivotal step towards stemming the tide of this epidemic. The addiction policy quorum has warned congress not to play politics by blocking passage of this cara conference report. They call it a monumental step forward, a Tipping Point to better addressing the paralyzing Opioid Epidemic. The faces and voices of recovery has urged support, too. They call it the most expansive federal Bipartisan Legislation to date for addiction support services, and they say it can help save the lives of countless people. And the fraternal order of police has asked congress to adopt the conference report on behalf of its more than 330,000 members. They call it another tool to reduce the deaths from this epidemic. So were just one step away from sending this legislation to the president s desk. The house overwhelmingly passed it by a vote of 407 to 5. With continued cooperation, the senate can send it to the president this week. Remember, this senate has provided more than twice as much funding for opioidrelated issues as under the Previous Senate majority. Let me say that again. This senate has provided more than twice as much funding for opioidrelated issues as under the Previous Senate majority. The passage of cara would represent another crucial step toward combating this crisis. Of course, this wouldnt have been possible without the unwaiving commitment of senators grassley, ayotte, portman moving is forward. Serving as voices for the voiceless and working across the aisle to develop this comprehensive response, these senators were resolute in their sport, in no small part, communities will be better equipped to prevent opioid abuse in the first place, just as theyll be betterequipped to save lives and foster treatment and recovery. I also want to recognize the work of democratic members like senator whitehouse and senator klobuchar for their efforts to help garner support for this bill and help move it through the legislative process. Theres no reason every senator shouldnt support it now. The sooner we send this bill to the president s desk, the sooner we can help our communities begin to heal from the prescription opioid and heroin crisis. And another way to do that is by passing the conference report that would fight zika and enact record levels of funding for veterans medical services, including millions for Substance Abuse and treatment. Democrats are clearly very nervous about their decision to attack Womens Health and veterans with a filibuster of the antizika funding bill. Who can blame them . Theyve put forth a variety of tortured excuses that dont stand up to scrutiny. Theyve offered a proposal they hope would provide political cover by ditching funding for our nations veterans. Thats really clearly not a solution. I dont know how democrats plan to explain any of this to veterans this summer. I certainly dont know how democrats plan to explain this to pregnant mothers. Either democrats believe zika is a craze that requires immediate action a crisis that requires immediate action or they do not. Republicans believe we ought to pass this bill because this is a crisis. Our friends across the aisle will have to decide if they feel the same or if a partisan Political Group is worth delaying funding to protect families from zika or funding our veterans. Theres only one option to get antizika funding on the president s desk before september, and that is passing the compromise zika control and veterans funding legislation that is before us and sending it down to the president for signature. The rules dont allow for a conference report to be amended, and repassing the same bill that went to conference wont put a bill on the president s desk. It wont create a vaccine. It wont kill a single mosquito. And it wont help a single pregnant mother. So lets do the right thing for our nation and pass the legislation that is before us. Mr. Reid mr. President . The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Reid the tortured explanation by my friend, the republican leader, this morning about two important issues opioids and zika are an indication of why the republicans will no longer have the majority come election day. Its very clear that you cant go on doing what theyre doing and expect people to support you. In the morning were going to vote on opioid legislation. Its important we do that. Everyone in this chamber knows we have to do something to stop this epidemic. Its claimed the lives of too Many Americans, and its doing it every day. While the cara conference report is a start, its a missed opportunity to do something really substancive to stem the number of opioid overdoses across the country. The reason for that is the republicans refuse to allocate money for this legislation. To have my friend talk about, weve done twice as much as we did under the previous majority. Why wasnt anything done before . Because it was filibustered. We couldnt do it. There is not enough money to do all the authorizing weve done for these programs. There is not enough money. In conference, republicans again rejected our efforts to insert funding into the report. Authorizing legislation is a start, but without resources, its very, very meaningless. Without any real funding, the conference report comes up really short. For example, editorials around the country ill pick on one. The New York TimesEditorial Board said as much this morning in their piece entitled exong is voting on congress is voting on an inadequate funding bill. Congress is about to pass a bill meant to deal with the nations Opioid Epidemic. It contains some good ideas, it will also be far less effective than it should be. The senate expected to vote on this measure o approved in the house on friday. It would authorize programs to stem what has become a scourge and disgrace. More than 28,600 Overdose Deaths occurred in 2014. Its gotten worse, not better. But this legislation contains not a penny to support any of these initiatives. The bill would allow the federal government to award grants to states to treat people who are hooked on prescription painkillers and illicit drugs like heroin, in congress, however, getting a program authorized is only half the battle. Republicans say they will allocate funding after a sevenweek break that begins at the end of this week and ends after labor day. Yet theres no good reason for congress to put off a vote on funding, given the urgency of the problem. Close quote. The editorial, though, ends with a further caution, and i quote again many lawmakers, especially those who are up for reelection, clearly want to show voters that theyre doing something about opioids. This billamounts to progress but will not change the trajectory of this help. Of this epidemic. Close quote. That says it all. Without real funding, this legislation is far from adequate you want to stop the increasing number of opioid overdoses, then we need to get serious about finding a way to do it, and one way is funding our nations response to this scourge. So i repeat, it is no wonder that there will be a change in the majority of this body with what went on as evidenced by this mornings statement by my friend, the republican leader. To talk a tortured explanation on zika, mr. President , the zika problem we have in America Today is significant. Last night 39 new cases were reported in one day in america. This mosquito is ravaging, there are basically two breeds of mosquitoes that are causing this problem, and theyre vicious. Theyre awful. Mosquitoes have been bad for generations at making people sick and having people die, but this is new. Never in the history of all the problems that mosquitoes have caused have they caused birth defects, but they do now and they do it big time. The president is aware of the issue. Hes aware of the issue. Its a very, very frightening thing for our country. In may the Senate Passed a bipartisan compromise to address this crisis. The bill wasnt perfect. The legislation called for 1. 1 billion in funding. It was well short of the 1. 9 billion Health Experts said was needed to address the crisis, but it was okay. It was certainly a step forward, and 89 senators agreed it was a good step forward. Democrats and republicans. The senate compromise, at the very least, was a step in the right direction. Thats why in spite of our serious reservations about the lack of adequate funding, we voted for this legislation, and im glad we did. The overwhelming majority of republicans voted for this bill, and im glad they did. The zika compromise passed, as i said, with 89 votes. Only the most extreme conservative members of this body voted against it. That was two months ago. But since then it has become increasingly clear in the last two months the republicans are not serious. Theyre playing games again because theyre not responding to the threat posed by these mosquitoes, by this horrible, horrible condition they cause in human beings. Instead of working to send a bill to the president s desk, republicans derailed the bipartisan response. 89 senators voted said that to the house of representatives. There was a conference. The republicans chose a very reckless approach. What went on here in the senate, they ignored. Even as more and more americans get infected every day. Theres almost 4,000 people in the United States and territories that have zika right now. At least 600 pregnant have shown evidence of infection. We dont know how many of those pregnant women who have this infection, this virus, are going to bear very, very sick babies. We dont know how many, but its going to be a lot. We should be working to fight zika. We should be working together. We should be providing public Health Experts with the tools they need to fight this virus. Its not being done with what the republican leader says. In the senate, were stuck in limbo as the republican leader forces an unnecessary revote on his failed proposal we got from the house of representatives. And apapproved by republicans in the senate, this conference report. We dont need to vote on this again. We voted on it and it was rejected. Why . Very good reasons. This was an abomination of a conference report. It restricts funding for Birth Control provided by planned parenthood. My friend talked about pregnant women. We dont want to talk about pregnant women. We want to talk about women who dont want to get pregnant. Where do they go . The vast majority of women in america go to planned parenthood. Millions go, and this legislation that the republicans are trying to foist on the American People stops them from being able to do that. It restricts funding for Birth Control provided by planned parenthood. Planned parenthood is a whipping boy for the republicans. It exempts this legislation, also exempts pesticide spraying from the clean water act. They had to do something to whack the environmental community. They had to get planned parenthood. So heres what were going to do to whack the environmental community. Well just not have the clean water act apply. Veterans funding, my friend, the republican leader, talks about veterans funding. Understand understand that the legislation is being proposed to help fight zika, takes 500 million one half billion dollars from the veterans program. That money was to be used for processing claims for veterans, which are way behind. We need that extra money. Thats going to be gone. The socalled salvation of the zika program rescinds 543 million from obamacare. Right now i could raise a point of order. That would go. That would be gone. It rescinds 543 million from obamacare. They have he to do this. Theyre they have to do this. Theyre so ideological. Lets go after planned parenthood, lets go after the environmental community. Lets make sure we do something about obamacare. And just for good measure, because ebola is not an emergency this very second, lets take more money from that. Two years ago it was a big emergency, and it will be again. Ebola. And just for good measure, to satisfy the rightwing, as speaker bay boehner called them crazies over there, they said well strike a provision on the confederate plague. It Confederate Flag. It was in the house bill. Hows that for an effort to do something constructive. We know the senate wont pass the conference report. President obama wont sign it into law. We should pass the bipartisan compromise as soon as possible. My friend said we cant amend a conference report. Of course, we can do anything here. With unanimous consent, we can do all kinds of good things. But thats the obvious and responsible path forward. We need to get this legislation to the president s desk. In order to do that we must bring the zika compromise legislation before the senate as a standalone. I tried yesterday to do that. I asked unanimous consent the senate move to the compromise legislation, the senate vote on that passage. But despite the previous support for this Bipartisan Legislation, the republican leader objected. The Senate Democrats are not going to be deterred. Is there a state in the aoupb that is going to state in the union thats going to suffer more than florida . No. So the senior senator from florida is going to come to the floor in a little while, this morning, and hes going to consent that, ask consent that e senate proceed to the dick compromise as a stand to the zika compromise as a standalone bill. Florida has been hit really hard. Yesterday there were new cases reported. Ing according according to tm beach coast it brings the number of affected floridians to almost 300, including 43 pregnant women. So i hope they will agree to the request by senator nelson. Were willing to work with republicans to get this done so the senate can adjourn for the sevenweek long vacation once we get this done. Our public is facing an emergency.