Appearing during MSNBC’s 10 a.m. ET hour on Tuesday, correspondent Kristen Welker touted Hillary Clinton politicizing the Zika virus to bash Republicans: “Secretary Clinton’s going to be touring a health center in Miami that is treating a number of Zika patients, and her message there is going to be to Congress to pass legislation that would go toward funding research....to focus on Republicans in Congress and urge them to call back a session and to vote on legislation that has been pending. That's just been sitting there.”
She briefly noted the GOP response: “Republicans are already pushing back and saying that, ‘Look, it's Democrats who wouldn't sign off on this legislation.’” However, armed with Clinton campaign talking points, she proclaimed: “Well, the reason for that...is because it includes controversial cuts to Planned Parenthood funding that Democrats say they’re not going to sign off on, that they want to pass a piece of legislation that only deals with Zika funding.” Anchor Thomas Roberts replied: “Yeah, getting a clean funding bill would be interesting to see that achieved.”
Roberts turned to Politico reporter Marc Caputo and actually worried about Clinton using Zika as a political issue: “And Marc, you heard Kristen there talking about Clinton's hopes of getting a clean funding bill. But calling on Congress to act on this, do you think that is a risk for her to politicize?”
Caputo immediately dismissed the concerns and blasted congressional Republicans: “Well, I think it's become political already....And the problem that you have in Congress is just this desire to kind of load up bills with extraneous things and score political points and that’s what happened.”
Roberts fretted: “Yeah, so has Florida's governor, you know, Rick Scott, said that he wants a clean funding bill, as well? Has he gone that far, just as Hillary Clinton would ask? Or do they anticipate it would have to be filled with other type of pork projects?”
While the journalists all ridiculed Republican efforts to cut Planned Parenthood as “controversial,” “extraneous,” and a “pork project,” none of them chastised Democrats for caring more about funding the nation’s largest abortion provider rather than funding research to stop a serious disease.
Roberts teed up Caputo to also lay blame on the state’s Republican governor: “...in your latest article, you point to Rick Scott, and he could be the main problem responsible for the lack of funding for Zika.” Caputo declared:
His first year in the state house, Governor Rick Scott cut mosquito control funding. He then essentially restored it and overtime it's essentially held flat with about a 2% annual increase. He also has cut various social services, including some of the clinics that you're seeing in the news. Hillary Clinton is going to a health care clinic in Miami that over the years has had its state money reduced. Now there's a lot of finger-pointing going on because it's related to the state's failure to expand ObamaCare and the Obama administration's decision to reduce a certain amount of Medicaid money to the state, perhaps as a result.
Notice that the White House cutting Medicaid funding to the state in political retaliation was a mere afterthought in the blame game.
Here is a full transcript of the August 9 segment:
10:35 AM ET
(...)
THOMAS ROBERTS: But the biggest pressing concern right now for Floridians, Zika, and what's taking place between local officials and elected members of Congress.
KRISTEN WELKER: Right. So, today, Secretary Clinton’s going to be touring a health center in Miami that is treating a number of Zika patients, and her message there is going to be to Congress to pass legislation that would go toward funding research and treatment and trying to find a vaccine for this disease. And she's particularly going to focus on Republicans in Congress and urge them to call back a session and to vote on legislation that has been pending. That's just been sitting there.
Republicans are already pushing back and saying that, “Look, it's Democrats who wouldn't sign off on this legislation.” Well, the reason for that, Thomas, is because it includes controversial cuts to Planned Parenthood funding that Democrats say they’re not going to sign off on, that they want to pass a piece of legislation that only deals with Zika funding. So I anticipate Secretary Clinton is going to talk about all of that today.
But Florida officials are also calling on the federal government to do more to help fight this disease that is really a pressing issue here in this community and others throughout the United States, Thomas.
ROBERTS: Yeah, getting a clean funding bill would be interesting to see that achieved. NBC's Kristen Welker, reporting in Orlando – Kissimmee, excuse me, Florida. Thank you so much.
Want to bring in now Politico’s Marc Caputo from Florida to talk more about this. And Marc, you heard Kristen there talking about Clinton's hopes of getting a clean funding bill. But calling on Congress to act on this, do you think that is a risk for her to politicize?
MARC CAPUTO: Well, I think it's become political already. And Governor Rick Scott has called on Congress to do the same thing. Hillary Clinton has. So there's bipartisan agreement that Congress basically sucks, at least when it comes to this issue. Now right now Zika really hasn't hit major crisis levels, there aren't people dying. But there are children being born, at least in other countries, with microcephaly, which you get – pregnant women get from Zika or pass on to their child. So that's really the crux of this problem. Florida has the most infections of any state, about 425. 55 of those infections are pregnant women. So that's a problem. And the problem that you have in Congress is just this desire to kind of load up bills with extraneous things and score political points and that’s what happened.
ROBERTS: Yeah, so has Florida's governor, you know, Rick Scott, said that he wants a clean funding bill, as well? Has he gone that far, just as Hillary Clinton would ask? Or do they anticipate it would have to be filled with other type of pork projects?
CAPUTO: He says pass something. He has not – Rick Scott has not come out firmly and said, “Look, pass a clean bill.” Marco Rubio has. Rubio, as you probably know, sponsored the President's original Zika legislation, which then got kind of dismembered in the House. The larger problem here is, it's – this is a problem in Florida and perhaps in some southeastern states. It's not seen as a nationwide problem, so the nationwide legislative body, Congress, doesn't view it the same way that Floridians view it, which is an emerging crisis.
ROBERTS: Alright, but meanwhile, in your latest article, you point to Rick Scott, and he could be the main problem responsible for the lack of funding for Zika. And I want to give a listen to what he said to NBC's Chuck Todd on Meet the Press about this.
RICK SCOTT: We still need the federal government to show up. The President and Congress have to work together. This a national, international issue, it's not just a Florida issue.
ROBERTS: So explain where the fault lies. And I just was to remind everybody, he did ask for special funding after the tragedy in Orlando that was denied by the federal government. Whose feet does this lie at, Marc? Who should be held responsible, the Governor, federal officials, or both?
CAPUTO: Well, I would say Congress is responsible for not doing its job. But Rick Scott has had a complicated relationship between cutting government services and cutting government money and then turning around and saying, “Look, we need more government money.” His first year in the state house, Governor Rick Scott cut mosquito control funding. He then essentially restored it and overtime it's essentially held flat with about a 2% annual increase. He also has cut various social services, including some of the clinics that you're seeing in the news. Hillary Clinton is going to a health care clinic in Miami that over the years has had its state money reduced. Now there's a lot of finger-pointing going on because it's related to the state's failure to expand ObamaCare and the Obama administration's decision to reduce a certain amount of Medicaid money to the state, perhaps as a result.
In the end, Rick Scott is right, Hillary Clinton’s right, Barack Obama’s right, and Marco Rubio’s right, Congress is not doing its job, and as a result, we're not going to see a lot of federal money come in until someone in Congress basically says, “Hey, do your job.” And I wouldn't hold my breath that that's going to happen.
ROBERTS: Marc Caputo, thank you, sir. Good to have you with me, I appreciate your time.
CAPUTO: Thank you.
