U.S. Representative Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18) made the following statement on Congress passing a stopgap funding measure to keep the government open past September 30th, which included $1.1 billion for Zika response efforts.  Murphy has continually called on Congress to provide the necessary funding to combat Zika since the President's February request.  

"I am pleased to see Congress work together to pass legislation to keep the government up and running.  Included in this bill were critical resources to fight Zika, which could not be more urgent as Florida quickly approaches 1,000 cases," said Murphy.  "While I applaud this bipartisan action, it is a shame that political posturing delayed this much-needed funding for seven months as the number of infections grew and took us to the brink of another harmful government shutdown."

Murphy also touted the House passage of H.R. 5303, the Water Resources Development  Act of 2016 (WRDA), that includes language to authorize the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) after his urging.  Since his first days in office, Murphy has been a vocal advocate for CEPP and other critical Everglades projects to help restore the natural southward flow of the system and address the ongoing crisis in Florida's waterways.  The House vote today followed similar action in the Senate, which recently passed its WRDA bill (S. 2848) including CEPP authorization.  The two chambers can now move to conference on this legislation. 

"For years, we have been pushing nonstop to get CEPP underway and it is a huge win for Florida waterways that both chambers have now moved to authorize this important project to help send more clean water south of Lake Okeechobee," Murphy said.  "I will continue working to see this project through as we keep moving forward with the short-term and long-term solutions needed to restore the natural flow of the Everglades and provide relief to our suffering waterways."

"I will always vote to put the people of Florida first.  Today's actions did just that, providing  Zika funding and moving CEPP closer to authorization,"  Murphy added. "Together, we will protect public health, the environment, and our economy to keep Florida strong."

###