President Obama on Thursday renewed calls for Congress to authorize funding for a response to the Zika virus before existing funding runs out, Reuters reports (Morgan et al., Reuters, 8/4).
Background
The Zika virus is not easily diagnosed, and it does not have a cure or vaccine. It is linked to the birth defect microcephaly, a condition in which an infant is born with an abnormally small head and brain. The condition is fatal for some infants, while others experience permanent disabilities.
The White House in February called for $1.9 billion to combat the virus. However, Congress failed to send a funding measure to the president before leaving last month for a seven-week recess (Women's Health Policy Report, 8/4). In the time since Congress left for recess, Florida officials have reported 15 cases of Zika virus that were likely acquired locally (Ehley, Politico, 8/4). As of Aug. 3, CDC reports there have been 1,825 cases of Zika in the United States, of which 1,818 are travel-related (CDC, "Case Counts in the US," accessed 8/5).
Earlier this week, the Obama administration said $201 million of the $374 million reallocated in April for Zika has been spent (Women's Health Policy Report, 8/4).
Dwindling funds could hinder vaccine development
In a pair of letters to Congress earlier this week, HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell noted that NIH's Zika funding is expected to run out by the end of August. Burwell explained that if NIH does not receive additional funding, it cannot launch the second stage of clinical trials in early 2017 on a possible vaccine. The agency launched the first clinical trial for the vaccine on Wednesday.
"A delay in this stage of development will delay when a safe and effective Zika vaccine is available to the American public," Burwell wrote, adding that insufficient funding also could impede work on other vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics, as well as mosquito control efforts.
In addition, Zika funding for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), another federal agency involved in vaccine development, is expected to be depleted by the end of August. According to The Hill, BARDA originally received $85 million in Zika response funding (Ferris [1], The Hill, 8/4).
Obama highlights need for funding
At a news conference on Thursday, Obama cited the Florida cases and criticized Congress for failing to pass Zika response funding. Calling the Florida cases "predicted and predictable," Obama said, "We proposed an urgent request for funding back in February. Not only did [conservative lawmakers] not pass our request, but they worked to cut it" (Ehley, Politico, 8/4).
Obama added, "Our experts at the CDC, the folks on the front lines have been doing their best in making due by moving funds from other areas, but now the money we need to fight Zika is rapidly running out" (Reuters, 8/5). He urged U.S. residents to contact their congressional representatives and "tell them to do their job."
While Obama reiterated health officials' predictions that there would not be a widespread outbreak of Zika in the United States, he cautioned that "there will be more cases" and warned that without appropriate funding, "the possibility of a vaccine could be delayed" (Ehley, Politico, 8/4).
Liberal lawmakers call for action
In related news, a group of more than 40 liberal senators on Thursday sent a letter to conservative congressional leaders, urging them to "immediately" end the recess so that lawmakers can approve new Zika funding, The Hill reports. Lawmakers addressed the letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) (Ferris [2], The Hill, 8/4).
The liberal senators wrote, "The problems the American people confront do not disappear simply because Congress does. In the case of the rapidly expanding Zika crisis, the problem has grown significantly worse since the [conservative]-led Congress went on recess." They continued, "We urge you to immediately cancel the remainder of the congressional recess and get back to work to help the American public, especially women and families, amidst this crisis" (Kim, Politico, 8/4).
In their letter, the liberal senators encouraged fellow lawmakers to resume negotiations on a $1.1 billion Zika response measure (SA 3900) that passed in the Senate earlier this year with support from liberal and conservative lawmakers. After the Senate approved SA 3900, some conservative lawmakers instead urged support for a separate measure (HR 2577) that, among other provisions, would not allow Zika funding to go to Planned Parenthood. Public health experts have noted that the potential for sexual transmission of Zika exacerbates the need for funding for contraception (The Hill [2], 8/4).
The liberal senators continued, "It is simply unacceptable that efforts to counter the spread of Zika and develop a vaccine are being held hostage by [conservative] partisanship." They wrote, "Americans expect Congress to do its job" (Kim, Politico, 8/4).
