SoylentNews

takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

The U.S. Senate is close to reaching a deal that will provide an additional $1.1 billion in funding to fight the Zika virus [nytimes.com], on top of $510 million previously allocated to fighting the Ebola virus. However, the House of Representatives may not agree to provide the funding, and some Democratic Senators are holding out for $1.9 billion:

Senate negotiators on Tuesday moved closer to an agreement to provide at least $1.1 billion in emergency financing to combat the rapidly spreading Zika virus, which public health officials warn poses an imminent threat in the United States, but House Republicans said they were still not ready to approve additional funds.

[...] "This is an emergency," said Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary. "The American people are counting on Congress to act. And instead, we've gotten bureaucratic excuses." The administration first requested $1.9 billion in emergency financing to combat the Zika virus in February, but was rebuffed by congressional Republican leaders who urged the administration to redirect $510 million previously allocated to fight Ebola — a move that was made this month.

Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri, a Republican who has led negotiations for his party, said Tuesday that his talks with Senator Patty Murray of Washington, a Democrat, had produced the outlines of an agreement that would provide about $1.1 billion in additional financing.

[...] Senate Democratic leaders, including Ms. Murray, insisted on Tuesday that there was still no agreement, accused Republicans of stalling and said they were holding out for President Obama's full request of $1.9 billion. "There is no deal," the Senate Democratic leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, said at a news conference, thumping his hand on the lectern. "I haven't seen it. I don't know who has seen it. We have an outline of it, but it's not enough. We want $1.9 billion. That's what it takes."

Also at Bloomberg [bloomberg.com] and The Hill [thehill.com]. Reuters has a timeline [reuters.com] about Zika's origins and spread.

[EXTENDED COPY]

Genetically modified mosquitoes [theatlantic.com] may become one of the tools used to fight the spread of Zika, but there is public resistance:

The coordinated effort that's necessary, Hotez says, goes beyond anything the U.S. has ever done to control mosquitoes in the past. As temperatures warm and mosquitoes emerge, it may already be too late for at-risk cities in the states to take the precautions Hotez describes. Which is part of why the promise of genetically modified mosquitoes is so appealing to those who support the idea.

But the question of genetic modification remains fraught—in part because of legitimate scientific concerns, but largely because of misinformation and cultural resistance to genetic modification more broadly. A poll [annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org] conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center in February found more than one-third of Americans believed genetically modified mosquitoes were to blame for the spread of Zika. (They're not.)

Original Submission