The Hill: Biden storms Capitol to lambaste GOP for inaction
“Vice President Biden stormed Capitol Hill on Thursday to amplify the Democrats’ long-held charge that Republican ‘dysfunction’ has paralyzed Congress at the expense of the country. Appearing on the steps of the Capitol on a sweltering day in Washington, the vice president accused the Republicans of undermining the judiciary system by blocking President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee; threatening public health by stonewalling legislation to address the spread of the Zika virus; and endangering public safety by ignoring proposals to rein in gun violence…” (Lillis, 9/8).

Reuters: Biden asks U.S. Congress to allow unencumbered Zika funding vote
“Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday called on the Republican-led U.S. Congress to allow an up-or-down vote on funding to combat the Zika virus without other provisions attached, calling the health threat posed by the pathogen a national emergency. … ‘Give us an up-or-down vote, straight, on Zika,’ Biden said at an event on Capitol Hill with fellow Democrats from the Senate and House of Representatives. ‘I understand attaching controversial issues to important legislation … but this is a national emergency,’ Biden added. ‘People’s health, the well-being of unborn children, the health of the country at large, is at stake. Act’…” (Morgan, 9/8).