House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi wants Congress to take up supplemental spending bills to address the Zika virus, the water crisis in Flint, Mich., and the epidemic of opioid addition.
Pelosi, D-Calif., said she thinks the House should begin considering a supplemental before it leaves town next week for the Easter recess.
“These are emergencies,” Pelosi told reporters at her weekly press briefing. “What do we say to the women of America that so much is at risk of being bitten by this insect, when we went home without doing anything? We are losing time now. We have to act.”
In the Senate, Republicans are working out a deal with Democrats on a standalone measure that would provide money for Flint, where the water supply has been contaminated by lead in the pipes.
Republicans have not indicated whether they would provide emergency federal funds to help combat Zika, a virus transmitted by mosquito that causes birth defects.
The Senate passed legislation earlier this month that is aimed at combating opioid addition, but it provides no new federal funding.
