To the Editor:

Congress is on vacation. Mosquitoes aren’t, and Congress has not approved Zika funding.

The House passed a Zika funding bill, but it included defunding both Planned Parenthood and Obamacare which would, ironically, reduce availability of both prenatal care and health insurance.

The gotcha strategy is simple. Either vote for the bill and provide money to contain Zika while also defunding Planned Parenthood and Obamacare, or vote against the bill so Republicans can claim Democrats voted against Zika funding.

So, Republicans win, right?

Actually, we all lose, but babies with deformed heads certainly lost the most.

Rep. Stefanik campaigned on bringing bipartisanship to Congress. Did she speak in the House to propose or support a clean Zika bill or just go along with her party’s gotcha strategy? I found nothing about her working for a clean Zika bill.

Many Republicans claim to be for protecting the unborn, but this Zika bill contradicts that. If House Republicans, including Stefanik, truly cared about the unborn, they would have had a clean bill.

Zika money should have passed like Ebola in 2014, no amendments.

In addition to creating greater risk for human tragedy, the delay all but guarantees taxpayers will pay more in the long run. Will Zika move along the coast and up the Mississippi? Stefanik’s party didn’t seem to care about the long-term costs when writing the bill, and we will all pay.

All Americans lose.

June Dewhirst

Gouverneur