WIKIMEDIA, BJOERTVEDTThree times Congress has taken up legislation to fund the continuing response to the Zika outbreak.
Three times the bill, which would allocate $1.1 billion to fight the disease, has fallen short of attracting bipartisan support. (See “Zika Update,” The Scientist, September 7, 2016.)
With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) close to exhausting available funds for Zika preparedness and response, Congress’s failure is fueling concerns about how Zika will impact the health of U.S. citizens.
In my work for the Jaharis Health Law Institute at DePaul University College of Law, I have been monitoring and evaluating the US response to the Zika outbreak. I see problems with both Congress’s long-term and short-term response.
A failure to fund
In addition to providing additional funding to fight the outbreak, the proposed Zika bill also covered funding for the Pentagon and ...
