A top White House spokesman repeatedly dodged questions on whether President Obama would veto a Senate Zika funding bill that provides $1.1 billion, $800 million less than Obama’s request.
Presidential deputy press secretary Eric Schultz said only that the administration has issued a veto threat against the House-passed bill that provides $622 million in funding to fight the Zika virus and points out that all of the funding already provided to fight the Ebola virus should be spent first before providing more money to combat Zika.
Schultz compared the Senate bill favorably to the House legislation. “The Senate bill is something that falls short of his funding request,” Schultz said. “But it doesn’t rob Peter to pay for Paul [like the House bill].”
“We’re more encouraged by what the Senate did — but there’s still a long way to go because clearly the House and the Senate are in vastly different places,” he said.
Schultz also took a shot at the House Florida delegation and its vote for the $622 million House bill after Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., joined Sen. Bill Nelson, R-Fla., in speaking out strongly in favor of the Senate version of the bill, which provides nearly twice as much funding a the House measure.
The House GOP Florida delegation is not “in sync” with their Senate colleagues, Schultz said.
“If [I were in Congress representing Florida], I would be doing everything I could to make sure my constituents are protected against this,” he said.
Obama earlier Friday urged voters across the country to press their members of Congress to support his $1.9 billion Zika funding request and said lawmakers shouldn’t leave for their Memorial Day recess unless they have delivered a bill to his desk.
