Bob CollinsA Florida congressman appeared to threaten to unleash a virus on the U.S. House of Representatives over its inaction.
Congress is nothing if not great theater, as Rep. David Jolly, R-Florida proved again today in his monologue against the refusal of the politicians to do anything to stop the spread of Zika.
“Can you imagine, colleagues, the fear and anxiety in this chamber if these hundred mosquitoes were outside this jar not inside this jar?” Jolly asked. “Members of Congress would run down the hall to the physician’s office to be tested, they would spray themselves before coming down here. This is the fear of Floridians, right here.”
Of course, since almost nobody is actually in the chamber when members give their speeches, the Capitol would be a safe place to be in the event Jolly unleashed his little friends.
The House approved funding for anti-Zika efforts, but attached a sure poison pill to the measure: the elimination of funding for Planned Parenthood. An earlier provision allowing the Confederate flag to be flown at military cemeteries has been removed.
The move has worked so far for Republicans. Most headlines today blame Senate Democrats for the failure to stem the mosquito-borne virus.
