Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton made a stop in South Florida Tuesday, heading right into the heart of the Zika crisis that has gripped the area.
Clinton, the Democratic Party’s candidate, was in the Wynwood neighborhood in the afternoon, visiting the Borinquen Medical Center, a health clinic that has been treating people in the area for over a month.
Clinton called on Congress to return to Washington and pass emergency funding for the Zika response during the visit.
She also demanded Republican leaders bring Congress back in session to either pass stalled legislation or craft a new bipartisan compromise bill to provide funding for testing, treatment and research on the disease, according to aides briefed on her plans.
Her running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, has already said he'd return to Washington for a vote on a Zika bill.
Clinton’s visit comes a day after the first case of Zika was discovered in Palm Beach County, reportedly from a person who visited the Miami area.
Six new travel related cases were identified, including two in Miami-Dade County, by the state’s Department of Health on Monday. Cases were also found in Hillsborough, Polk and Leon counties as well.
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With the latest findings, 357 cases of travel related Zika have been identified in the state in addition to 17 non-travel related cases. In a release, the DOH said they still think active transmissions are only taking place within the identified Wynwood area.
Lawmakers left Washington in mid-July for a seven-week recess without approving any of the $1.9 billion that President Barack Obama requested in February to develop a vaccine and control the mosquitoes that carry the virus.
Both sides have been pointing fingers since. Obama, Clinton and Democrats blame Republicans for politicizing the legislation by adding a provision to a $1.1 billion take-it-or-leave-it measure that would have blocked Planned Parenthood clinics in Puerto Rico from receiving money. Republicans say the administration has not spent money that has already been provided and is trying to play politics in an election year.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has signaled he is in no rush to return. Writing in the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader last week, he criticized Democrats for balking at passing the bill. He said they'll get another chance after Labor Day when Congress is back in session.
Clinton supported the bill, which her policy aide Ann O'Leary called "a critical first step to protect public health and ultimately save lives'' in a post on the website Medium.
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She laid out a plan to combat the virus last March, which included allocating $1.8 billion in emergency funds. A month later, she dispatched two of her aides to Puerto Rico, where hundreds of cases have been detected, to meet with medical professionals.
Clinton was also expected to stop by Miami Beach later Tuesday for a fundraiser.
#Traffic @HillaryClinton will be visiting #MiamiBeach today. Please expect delays between 3:30 PM - 8:30 PM. pic.twitter.com/JFzhJhdb6E — City of Miami Beach (@MiamiBeachNews) August 9, 2016
