Summer Arrives with No Funding to Fight Zika

Congress has recessed for the summer without reaching a compromise on how to fight Zika virus. In the days leading up to the break, the Senate again took up the issue as part of defense funding legislation. Senate Democrats agreed to start conference negotiations with the House, however, a procedural vote failed to get the required 60 votes. The Senate previously approved $1.1 billion in emergency funding, with no requirement to offset the spending from other programs. If enacted, the funds could be used for vaccine development and for mosquito control. Democrats have objected to a provision that would temporarily halt certain environmental rules pertaining to pesticide spraying. The House voted in May to appropriate $622 million to fight Zika. These funds would be transferred from an existing account that was created to combat Ebola, as well as from other programs. Last week, Florida health officials reported the first possible cases of Zika virus from local transmission.      
Source: Public Policy Reports - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news