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2016 presidential candidates on the Zika virus

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Date: November 8, 2016
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This page was current as of the 2016 election.

On February 1, 2016, the World Health Organization declared microencephaly and other neurological disorders resulting from the Zika virus a public health emergency.[1] Primarily transmitted by mosquitoes, the virus spread throughout Latin America and into the United States. Nearly all domestic Zika cases were travel-related, but more than a dozen came from Wynwood, Florida, the first active transmission area in the U.S.[2][3]

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) requested emergency assistance from the Centers for Disease Control to address the spread of the Zika virus in Miami-Dade County.[4] Other efforts to fund public health programs addressing Zika stalled in Congress in June 2016 and again in September, leading to concern about how far the virus could spread without an adequate response.[5]

See what the 2016 presidential candidates and their respective party platforms said about the Zika virus below.

OVERVIEW OF CANDIDATE POSITIONS
  • Hillary Clinton called on Congress to vote on President Barack Obama's request for $1.8 billion in emergency appropriations and sent staffers to Puerto Rico to learn about its response to the Zika virus.
  • Donald Trump deferred to Gov. Rick Scott (R) on how to handle the outbreak in Florida.
  • Jill Stein supported using non-toxic means to combat the Zika virus.
  • Ballotpedia was in 2016 unaware of any public statements on the Zika virus made by Gary Johnson.

    • Democratic candidate

    Democratic Party Hillary Clinton

    caption
    • On August 9, 2016, Hillary Clinton urged Congress to return for a special session to pass legislation addressing the Zika virus. “I am very disappointed that the Congress went on recess before actually agreeing on what they would do to put the resources into this fight, and I really am hoping that they will pay attention. In fact, I would very much urge the leadership of Congress to call people back for a special session and get a bill passed," she said.[6]
    • Clinton released a statement on the Zika virus on March 18, 2016, where she called on Congress to take action on President Barack Obama's request for $1.8 billion in emergency appropriations. "Instead, Congressional Republicans said the Administration should use funds left over from fighting Ebola — even though that money is still being used. Why would we lower our defenses against one public health threat in order to meet another one? That’s senseless and dangerous. Congress needs to provide the funds to fight Zika now," she wrote. Clinton said the funds should be spent on developing a rapid diagnostic test for Zika and a vaccine, researching the connection between Zika and microcephaly, and mosquito control and abatement.[7]
    • In April 2016, Clinton sent three staffers to Puerto Rico to research how the island had been impacted by the Zika virus and to observe how local clinics educated the population about the outbreak.[8]
    • Read more of Hillary Clinton's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.

    Republican candidate

    Republican Party Donald Trump

    caption
    • While campaigning in Florida on August 3, 2016, Donald Trump deferred to Florida Gov. Rick Scott when he was asked how he would handle the Zika virus outbreak. "I watch and I see and I see what they’re doing with the spraying and everything else. And I think he’s doing a fantastic job. And he’s letting everyone know exactly what the problem is and how to get rid of it. He’s going to have it under control. He probably already does," said Trump.[11] Earlier in the day, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) had called on Trump to address the spread of the virus.
    • Read more of Donald Trump's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.

    Green candidate

    Green Party Jill Stein

    caption

    Libertarian candidate

    Libertarian Party Gary Johnson

    caption

    Recent news

    The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 2016 presidential candidates on the Zika virus. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    2016 presidential candidates on the Zika virus - Google News

    See also

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ World Health Organization', "Zika virus and complications," accessed August 6, 2016
    2. ↑ CNN, "'It's definitely scary': Miami residents grapple with Zika," August 5, 2016
    3. ↑ The Miami Herald, "New Zika case in SW Miami-Dade being investigated as spraying in Wynwood kills mosquitoes," August 4, 2016
    4. ↑ Florida Governor Rick Scott, "Gov. Scott: Florida Calls on CDC to Activate Emergency Response Team Following Confirmed Mosquito-Borne Transmissions," August 1, 2016
    5. ↑ The New York Times, "Zika Bill Is Blocked by Senate Democrats Upset Over Provisions," June 28, 2016
    6. ↑ The Atlantic, "Hillary Clinton to Congress: Come Back to D.C. and Fund Zika Research," August 9, 2016
    7. ↑ Medium, "The time to take action against Zika is now," March 18, 2016
    8. ↑ Hillary for America, "Congress must approve emergency funding to fight this virus," May 19, 2016
    9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    10. ↑ Democratic Party, "The 2016 Democratic Party Platform," accessed August 5, 2016
    11. ↑ The Huffington Post, "Trump Silent On Zika Virus At 2 Florida Campaign Events," August 3, 2016
    12. ↑ Republican Party, "The 2016 Republican Party Platform," accessed August 5, 2016
    13. ↑ Twitter, "Jill Stein," September 19, 2016
    14. ↑ Green Party, "The 2016 Green Party Platform," accessed August 10, 2016
    15. ↑ Libertarian Party, "The 2016 Libertarian Party Platform," accessed August 6, 2016
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