Washington Post: The GOP Congress must stop hurting the Zika fight
Editorial Board

“…Now that Congress has returned from its recess, it is time to buckle down and approve the president’s request for about $1.9 billion in emergency funding, or something close to it. … The time to prepare for the onslaught of virus-carrying Aedes mosquitoes was yesterday — and yet Congress has stalled the president’s February funding request. … Warning the public, creating and scaling up diagnostics, and carrying out spraying and other prophylactic measures are all vital, and these take time to prepare, time that is being lost on Capitol Hill. … It is long past time for Congress to deliver the money needed to fight a virus that, if unchecked, could ruin thousands of young lives” (5/11).

New York Times: Congress to America: Drop Dead
Nicholas Kristof, New York Times columnist

“…In February, [President] Obama urgently requested more than $1.8 billion to address Zika, and Congress since then has done nothing but talk. Republicans have protested that the administration doesn’t need the money, that they have questions that haven’t been answered, or that the request is vague. These objections are absurd. … It’s always more cost-effective and lifesaving to tackle an epidemic early. … The larger mistake is that budget cutters have systematically cut public health budgets that address Zika, Ebola, and other ailments. The best bargain in government may be public health, and Republicans have slashed funding for it while Democrats have shrugged…” (5/12).