McConnell with other GOP Senate leaders, John Barrasso of Wyoming and John Cornyn of Texas (Getty Images photo by Alex Wong) |
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky "unveiled a stopgap spending measure last week that indulged several Democratic demands, including a meticulously constructed deal on Zika funding and the elimination of several contentious policy riders," Mike DeBonis reports for The Washington Post.
Those riders included a prohibition on Zika funding for Planned Parenthood in Puerto Rico, where the virus is rampant, and a waiver of environmental rules on spraying for mosquitoes. They spread Zika; so does sexual contact.
"The short-term spending bill was a triumph for Democrats, who were able to exact numerous concessions from Republican leaders who were determined to avoid a distracting government shutdown in the middle of campaign season," DeBonis writes. "That has prompted grumbling from House conservatives, in particular, and increased GOP pressure on McConnell and Ryan to draw a harder line when the stopgap expires in December."
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who has much in common with House conservatives and is running for re-election against Lexington Mayor Jim Gray, voted against the bill.
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