A group of bipartisan lawmakers, including 13 from Florida, which suffered Zika outbreaks last year, wants Congress to create a fund to quickly fight diseases.
The group of 20 House members wants Congress to provide $300 million for a fund that responds swiftly to outbreaks. The request, sent in a letter to congressional appropriators, comes after Congress debated how much money to provide to fight the Zika virus last year.
“We can’t afford to be caught flat-footed when a public health crisis hits,” said Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., who signed the letter.
The idea appears to have the support of the White House, which called for creation of a fund in its budget proposal although it didn’t outline how much funding it should receive.
Buchanan likened the fund to the disaster relief fund used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency after a natural disaster. The disease fund would help mobilize a response to infectious disease outbreaks such as Zika or Ebola.
The request comes a little more than a year after a protracted fight in Congress over how much money should be given to fight the Zika virus. Former President Barack Obama requested Congress give out about $4 billion, but Republicans balked at that figure and questioned whether the administration could use existing funds leftover from the $5.4 billion provided for fighting the West African Ebola outbreak.
Congress eventually passed a Zika funding bill in September that gave out $1.1 billion.
While Zika ran rampant through Central and South America last year, only a small outbreak of the Zika virus, which spreads via mosquito bites, was found in several parts of Miami.
