DCCC criticizes Republicans for voting against flu funding

Democrats are setting their sights on 50 House Republicans they say voted against a measure to expand funding for national flu emergencies.

In a series of releases sent out on Monday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee faulted some GOP lawmakers -- including House Republican Leader John Boehner (Ohio) -- for voting against a supplemental appropriations bill in June that included about $2 billion in flu pandemic funding.

Although the conference report they cite did ultimately pass, the DCCC still criticized those GOP lawmakers for voting against federal assistance at a time when states were already scrambling to brace for a possible H1N1 crisis.

"President Barack Obama’s recent declaration that the H1N1 flu outbreak is a national emergency serves as another stark reminder of Representative John Boehner’s reckless just-say-no approach to preparing for the pandemic," the DCCC writes in one release, targeting Boehner's district.

"Despite multiple warnings of this fall’s H1N1 pandemic, Representative John Boehner joined 169 Republican colleagues this summer in opposing funds to help families, schools, and businesses prepare for the worst," the DCCC added.

Democrats' latest line of attack, however, is likely to anger Republicans, many of whom announced at the time they would not support that particular bill -- a war supplemental conference report -- because it included too many "extraneous, non-war related, funding proposals."

"In terms of overall spending, the conference agreement provides $106 billion. This is $16 billion more than the President’s request, $9 billion more than the House-passed level, and $15 billion more than the Senate-passed level," they said in a policy statement, published in June. "However, the primary concern with the agreement is the significantly smaller increase in funding for defense compared to increases other federal agencies and programs will likely receive this year."

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