In the News

Three Miami lawmakers were so excited about Wednesday night's late U.S. House vote approving funding to fight the Zika virus that they convened reporters to assemble at Miami International Airport when their Washington flight landed Thursday morning.

An aide taped a big, mock check -- for $1.1 billion and made out to "Miami-Dade County and other Zika affected areas -- on a lectern.

"I hope you made note of the check that is attached to the podium," Miami Gardens Democratic Rep.Frederica Wilson said, "because this is a victory."

"It's taken too long, and we get that," Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart said. "But I am exceedingly proud of what the Florida -- and particularly the South Florida -- delegation could do."

The legislation gives members of Congress something to run on ahead of the Nov. 8 election -- even if some of them, like Diaz-Balart and Wilson, only have token opposition.

A third legislator, Republican Carlos Curbelo, who is in a tough reelection race against Democrat Joe Garcia, also called the vote a bipartisan win. He and Diaz-Balart praised Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who was on her way to Israel for the late President Shimon Peres' funeral, and Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

"We needed to get something done for this community," Curbelo said.

In a statement, Garcia said he was "pleased to see that after seven months of pressuring, demanding and pleading, obstructionists like Carlos Curbelo finally decided to do what they should have done long ago."