The federal government has been forced to “scrape together nickels and dimes” to fight the Zika virus, according to a top administration official who has been calling on Congress to approve a nearly $2 billion emergency funding request.
The GOP-controlled Congress has been hesitant to approve the $1.8 billion request to fight the spreading virus, as Republican leaders say federal agencies should explore using leftover funding they received to fight Ebola.
As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has had to rearrange its effort to fight the Zika outbreak, director Tom Frieden told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday.
For instance, the agency has had to reduce the amount of money it sends to states for emergencies in order to support other endeavors such as creating a new laboratory test for diagnosing Zika. The CDC has also halted all of its work into the dengue virus, which is also spread by mosquito bites just like Zika.
“All of our work on tick-borne viruses stopped,” added Frieden.
The virus has spread to more than 50 countries and territories. It is primarily spread by mosquito bites and causes a mild illness.
But officials strongly suspect a link between Zika and the birth defect microcephaly, as well as the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
The administration asked Congress in February for $1.8 billion, of which the CDC would receive $828 million.
Frieden said part of the money would help states control the mosquito population and to improve laboratory infrastructure to test for Zika and other diseases.
Currently, the CDC is taking “a percentage of the public health emergency preparedness grants and redirect it [to states],” Frieden said.
Frieden noted that mosquito season has already started in Puerto Rico and isn’t far behind in the U.S.
A recent study found that Zika could be present in about 50 U.S. cities, and that southern cities in Texas and Florida are particularly vulnerable due to the mosquito population.
Frieden noted that in a week and a half, the CDC would hold a summit with dozens of states on how to fight Zika.
Republicans have been hesitant to the $1.8 billion proposal because they believe there is money leftover in the $5.4 billion doled out in 2014 to fight the Ebola outbreak. But Frieden said that he couldn’t speak for the other agencies regarding their leftover Ebola dollars.
CDC received money for two reasons: to fight the Ebola outbreak, and to boost the infrastructure of affected countries to fight future outbreaks.
Frieden said that almost all of the Ebola money is gone, and the infrastructure money that was available is already committed.
“If we redirect them, we are basically letting down our guard for one threat to address another threat,” he said.
Frieden acknowledged “these are difficult times for Congress to find money even for emergency situations. I am encouraged by the fact that Congress understands that Zika is an emergency.”
