Obama administration to shift $81 million to fight Zika

[DonViejo]

Source: The Washington Post

The Obama administration plans to reallocate $81 million from the Department of Health and Human Services to fight the Zika virus, according to a letter sent Thursday by HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell.

Burwell notified Congressional leaders that she will transfer $34 million away from other programs at the National Institutes of Health and $47 million within the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority budget. The money will supplement the $347 million HHS transferred away from an existing fund to fight the Ebola virus. The administration is seeking $1.9 billion to fight Zika, but Congress is deadlocked over the funding.

“The failure to pass a Zika emergency supplemental has forced the Administration to choose between delaying critical vaccine development work and raiding other worthy government programs to temporarily avoid these delays,” Burwell wrote

Last week, Burwell informed Congress that those two agencies were expected to run out of money by the end of August to fight the spread of the mosquito-borne disease. She warned that NIH would be forced to delay vaccine development without the funds. Burwell estimates that those two programs alone would need $538 million over the coming year.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/08/11/obama-administration-to-shift-81-million-to-fight-zika/?wpisrc=al_alert-politics

[sheshe2]

1. Thank you President Obama.

This is fast becoming an epidemic that can't be ignored.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. Republicans are incapable of responsible government. . . nt

[brush]

3. Yes. The repugs went on recess without passing a bill to fund zika research

WTF is with these cold-hearted MFs?

They just won't do their job, no compassion, even in an emergency health crisis.

[greymattermom]

4. Soon we'll find out that there are zika mosquitos

on Trump's Florida golf course. What then?

[Chemisse]

5. Thankfully there is one responsible adult in Washington. n/t

[mitch96]

6. I don't have a problem with it

As long as our pencil neck dipshit governor does not get his grubby hands on any of it... He will just squander it on his Rethug buddies and not take care of the people....... uffda I hate this guy...
m

[Bearware]

7. Make it a nation-wide down-ballot campaign issue and watch them race back.

When people start paying more attention to Zika, they will be foaming at the mouth to dump GOP legislators for letting this get out of hand.

On top of it the GOP wants to pull money from Ebola so it could come back again!