The Senate voted decisively on Tuesday in favor of a bipartisan $1.1 billion measure to combat the Zika virus this year and next, cutting back President Barack Obama’s request but offering significantly more money to fight Zika than would House GOP conservatives.
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House Republicans argue their $622.1 billion bill, when coupled with $589 million the Obama administration already shifted to Zika from unused funds to battle Ebola, would provide enough money through September 30, the end of this fiscal year.
USA health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies. “The responsible thing to do, the rational thing to do is to invest the resources needed to stop this Zika threat in its tracks and to invest in more science and public health infrastructure so that we’re ready when the next crisis comes”.
It’s a small fraction of the $1.9 billion that the Obama administration requested in February, though House Republicans, including Rogers, have said that figure was inflated. About 110 pregnant women have contracted Zika, which has been shown to cause a severe birth defect called microcephaly.
Three new travel-related cases of the mosquito-borne Zika virus are confirmed today by the Florida Department of Health.
Zika is expected to spread more widely during the summer mosquito season, but officials say outbreaks in the USA are likely to be limited. Obama requested $1.9 billion three months ago for several purposes, including creating a vaccine for the disease, taking steps to control the mosquitoes that spread Zika and helping other countries battle the virus. Since then, the government has used unspent funds from last year’s fight against Ebola.
It was unclear how long it might take the Senate and House to work out their differences once they pass their respective bills. He criticized the House bill as inadequate, said he is concerned that even $1.9 billion isn’t enough, and warned that Congress will ultimately have to answer for failing to react to what he called a “devastating disease”. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md. “Well, while we parse and ponder, Zika infects and affects more people each day”.
If a person does test positive for Zika, Columbus Public Health will use a special mosquito control plan around the individual’s home. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters he expects the appropriations bill to pass later this week, along with the Zika funding. It is relatively close to what the White House has asked for, except it does not pay back very much of the already-tapped Ebola money or give Puerto Rico, a Zika hot spot, help with its Medicaid program. The House bill could come to a vote as early as this week.
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Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who is leading the Senate’s Zika effort with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, failed because of Democrats objected to the money being taken out of funding in the Affordable Care Act. However, he continued to caution lawmakers that the funding won’t be enough.
