WASHINGTON-A standoff over funding to combat the Zika virus looks certain to extend well into the summer, more than four months after the Obama administration sought about $1.9 billion to fight and contain the virus.
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The White House has already promised to veto Wednesday night’s Zika bill, which snuck by a vote in the House of Representatives amidst the Democrats’ sit-in for stricter gun regulations.
Democrats also said it was wrong to require spending cuts to pay for a response to a public health crisis while not requiring them for past emergencies such as wildfires, floods and Ebola.
Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee had engaged in talks about the offsetting cuts, but leaders such as Sen.
“I will not support the Republican Zika-Military Construction-VA conference report that limits needed birth control services for women in the United States and Puerto Rico, and includes a troubling pesticides policy rider that endangers clean water protections”, said Senate Appropriations Ranking Member Barbara A. Mikulski.
House Speaker Paul Ryan reportedly described the deal as a responsible plan and added, “Now we need to get this bill to the president’s desk”. Republican leaders called the Zika vote abruptly, permitted no debate and immediately adjourned through July 4.
Obama has been seeking $1.9 billion to fight Zika.
House and Senate Republicans reached agreement late Wednesday to provide $1.1 billion to combat the Zika virus, but Democrats objected to $750 billion in budget cuts that GOP lawmakers are proposing to offset the spending. It unused funds set aside for territories for Obamacare and from funds allocated to fight Ebola in West Africa.
Republican Marco Rubio said some money was better than nothing. Progress on. something! But the bill excludes the $50 million requested for child and maternal health, and blocks any Zika-related funds from going to Planned Parenthood (or any other family-planning group) for birth control.
“This is a bill that would steal money from other critically important public health priorities”, Schultz told reporters at a briefing. It is being paired with a measure funding the Department of Veterans Affairs. While it’s not circulating on the USA mainland yet, federal health officials say they expect local outbreaks at any moment as infected travelers can pass the virus to local mosquitoes.
A spokeswoman for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., predicted Democrats would successfully filibuster the measure. Josh Earnest, White House press secretary, states that this is a “clear indication that they don’t take seriously the threat from the Zika virus”.
“The House did its part, now the Senate needs to do its part – and this agreement represents our only chance to put Zika control money to work now”, Mr. McConnell said.
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Zika’s spreading across Latin America and has infected at least 2,600 people in US states and territories. The virus is linked to severe birth defects in babies of some pregnant women who are infected. But it would not permit the use of donor eggs and sperm, according to a summary of the measure prepared by Democrats.
