Zika virus funds are currently being debated by the House of Representatives and the Senate. Where the money should come from, how much should be used, and if there should be spending cuts in other areas of the budget to appropriate the fund are the main questions at hand.
After asking the House for $1.9 billion for this emergency fund in February, President Obama and his administration were asked to use $622 million of the leftover Ebola epidemic funds for the Zika fund. Adversely the Senate voted to compromise with the Obama administration with a $1.1 billion Zika fund budget. If history is any indication this might not get decided on very quickly.
Even though concerns for the virus reaching America grows, especially in the wake of mosquito season, the House of GOP leaders don't want to back any compromise unless the cost is offset by some sort of budget cut somewhere else.
The Republican politicians are stuck between showing that they won't bend the budget spending and fighting this dangerous virus that continues to spread into the United States. The administration confirmed 1,200 Zika virus cases in the contiguous United States and territories, 110 of them being pregnant women. This is particularly concerning due to the birth defects that occur because of this virus.
According to the Washington Post, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said, "When you've got an emergency situation, you really need to get funding as quickly as you possibly can. We're running out of time."
Americans can't wait for the government to agree upon funding when the speed of this virus is dangerously faster.
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