The Obama administration announced on Wednesday it will use $510 million penciled in to fight Ebola to combat Zika instead and rely on $89 million in other unspent funds.
Shaun Donovan, the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), held a conference call with the media and urged Congress to support President Barack Obama’s call for an additional $1.9 billion to fight Zika.
"Nearly two months have passed and the situation continues to grow more critical," Donovan said. "Today we reiterate our call on Congress to take immediate action to provide the full requested amount. We must scale up Zika prevention activity right now."
But Donovan insisted Congress needed to approve more funds to battle Zika.
“These repurposed funds are not enough to support a comprehensive Zika response and can only temporarily address what it needed," Donovan said. "Emergency supplemental funding remains urgently needed."
On the other side of the aisle U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., said the White House was making the right move. Back in February, Buchanan, R-Fla., announced he was co-sponsoring U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart’s, R-Utah, “Zika Response and Safety Act.” Stewart’s bill would allow unspent federal funds be used to take on the virus.
“The administration’s move to help fund anti-Zika efforts is welcome,” Buchanan said. “But, we must remain vigilant in keeping our friends and neighbors safe.”
Buchanan noted there were 312 Zika cases in the U.S. and 80 of them were in Florida.
“The number of Zika cases keeps growing,” Buchanan said. “The mosquito-borne virus represents a growing health threat to Florida and the country so I’m hopeful this targeted funding will help stop its spread.”
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
