Congressional leaders recently renewed calls for President Barack Obama to redirect $589 million in unspent Ebola funding to help fight the spread of Zika virus.
With 46 cases of Zika reported in Illinois last week, U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) said on Tuesday that Obama should use the federal funding at his disposal to immediately prevent the further spread of the mosquito-borne virus.
“This funding could go a long way to expanding mosquito control programs, accelerating vaccine research and development, and educating the public about prevention methods — all of which the administration has said it needs to combat the virus,” Davis said. “The House passed a plan earlier this year to provide $1.1 billion in funding to fight Zika, but Democrats in the Senate continue to block it. It’s time to stop playing politics and come together to fight Zika.”
The House-approved plan would authorize an additional $622 million in new funding to prevent the spread of Zika on top of the $589 million in carryover Ebola funding.
U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL) said that Zika is a “real and serious threat” to the United States, and to states along the Gulf Coast in particular.
“It is incredibly troubling that the Obama administration is sitting on unspent funds that could be used to fight the Zika virus right now, but they are instead spending all their time trying to score political points,” Byrne said. “Additional funding is necessary, and I continue to call on the Senate to pass our responsible $1.1 billion package to help with Zika prevention, research and treatment. However, until the process moves forward, the Obama administration should use the money they have available right now.”
The administration pledged $589 million in unspent Ebola funding to help combat Zika in April. The Office of Management and Budget has reported that $385 million of that amount remains unspent.
U.S. Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL), meanwhile, wrote in an op-ed on Monday in the Montgomery Advertiser that Democrats in the Senate are acting “in the name of politics” when blocking an emergency funding compromise and an emergency waiver to allow EPA permitting of legal pesticides to eradicate mosquitoes.
“Senate Democrats take issue with temporarily waiving a requirement to obtain a permit from the Environmental Protection Agency to use certain proven mosquito-killing sprays like DDT,” Roby, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee, wrote. “However, killing mosquitoes is exactly what we need to be doing right now and an emergency waiver of this kind can help states and communities quickly respond to the Zika threat without a bureaucratic permitting delay.
“Next, Senate Democrats objected to the bill offsetting the cost by reallocating $543 million from ObamaCare funding. However, the ObamaCare money in question is leftover funding meant for setting up healthcare exchanges in territories that became unnecessary – and unused – when Puerto Rico expanded Medicaid. Finding unspent funds to help offset the costs of emergency spending is basic fiscal responsibility, not a reason to block a bill.
“A public health crisis of this magnitude is no time to block emergency funding in the name of politics.”