House Democrats plan to hold a hearing Thursday on the Zika virus in an effort to pressure the GOP into approving new federal spending to defeat it.
Democrats are in the minority, so they have no power over the agenda of official congressional committees. Instead, Democrats are convening their Steering and Policy Committee to conduct a hearing to discuss the issue.
They’ve summoned as witnesses Mitch Landrieu, the Democratic mayor of New Orleans, and officials from the Centers for Disease Control and National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases.
Democrats want the GOP to agree to spend $1.9 billion on fighting the Zika virus, which causes serious and birth defects. The money would have to be approved in an emergency spending bill.
Republicans say federal officials can redirect $590 million form a fund to fight the Ebola virus. They have requested more information about the need for additional funding and say the administration is slowly providing it.
If Republicans agree to the additional funding, they want the spending offset elsewhere in the budget so it does not add to the deficit.
