U.S. Senate Race: Democrat Katie McGinty Whacks Pat Toomey On Zika Funding
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Democratic Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidate Katie McGinty is calling out her opponent for his positions on efforts to fight the zika virus. KYW's Marcy Norton has more.
McGinty held a phone conference criticizing GOP Senator Pat Toomey for his previous votes against bills that would have provided funding to fight the spread of zika, and for his support of a recent bill that would provide zika funding, while slashing support for the Affordable Care Act. The former State Secretary of Environmental Protection says lawmakers have the ability to ward off zika, before it spreads in the state like West Nile Virus.
"But we can't do it with a lot of hot air and a lot of rhetoric," the Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate said. "What we need to do is provide the resources so that the experts can take action."
McGinty partnered with Patricia Aiken of the PA Association of Staff Nurses to underscore the medical community's concern about funding zika efforts.
"It would never ever cross my mind to try to solve a health crisis like zika by slashing funds for the Affordable Care Act and ebola treatment," Aiken said.
McGinty accused Toomey of playing politics with a public health issue.
Efforts to reach Senator Toomey's campaign for a response were unsuccessful.
