President Obama formally asked Congress for emergency funding to fight the quickly spreading Zika virus, even though House appropriators rejected his initial ask last week.
In a letter Monday to Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, Obama asked for legislation designating $1.9 billion in funds to combat the virus domestically and internationally. He urged Congress to act “expeditiously” in considering his request.
“This request supports the necessary steps to fortify our domestic health system, detect and respond to any potential Zika outbreaks at home and to limit the spread in other countries,” the president wrote.
Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee said last week that the White House first should use funds leftover from fighting Ebola, comprising about $1.4 billion held by the Department of Health and Human Services and $1.3 billion held by the State Department, they said.
“These funds can and should be prioritized to meet the most pressing needs of mounting a rapid and full response to Zika,” Chairman Hal Rogers wrote to the White House.
Zika, which causes illness but is rarely fatal in adults, is thought to cause a serious birth defect in fetuses called microcephaly. It has been diagnosed in about 50 Americans who traveled outside the U.S. and has been found in 26 countries, according to the Pan American Health Organization.
