President Obama signed a bill aimed at speeding up development of vaccines and treatments to fight the quickly spreading Zika virus, while his administration battles with Congress over more money to fight the virus.
The law enables a drugmaker who makes a treatment or vaccine for the Zika virus to receive a voucher that can be spent to give another drug a faster review time. Currently there are no treatments or vaccines for Zika, which is spread primarily through mosquitoes.
The virus causes a birth defect called microcephaly and may cause other neurological disorders.
The law itself was not controversial, as it easily passed both chambers of Congress. However, the administration slammed Congress for not doing more, namely approving Obama’s $1.9 billion funding request.
Congress wants the administration to use money leftover from fighting the Ebola virus. The administration eventually relented and used about $500 million from the funds but clamored for Congress to approve the full $1.9 billion request.
The rhetoric behind the request has escalated, with White House officials charging Congress with turning a blind eye to an outbreak they expect this summer. White House officials have said they expect dozens of Zika cases once it gets hot and humid.
“There’s no reason to be partisan … this is just a matter of doing your job,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said during a briefing last week.
More than 300 cases have been found in the U.S., but almost all are from people who traveled to where the virus is spreading via mosquitoes. So far infection from mosquito bites, the most common mode of transmission, hasn’t happened in the U.S.
The latest feud centers over whether the administration fully answered Congress’ questions over how the money will be spent.
“There are many questions that we’ve been asking so that we can make sure that taxpayer dollars are spent correctly and wisely,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said Tuesday. “We still have yet to get answers to those questions.”
