Bloomberg: Congress Dithers While Zika Spreads
Editorial Board

“Congress is giving the Aedes aegypti mosquito every chance to gain an advantage in the fight against the Zika virus. No one knows exactly when the first such mosquito will transmit the virus inside the U.S., but it might happen before lawmakers manage to pass a bill to pay for its prevention and control. On Tuesday, Senate Democrats blocked a Republican plan to partly fund President Barack Obama’s [$1.9 billion] request — issued more than four months ago — for money to fight Zika. … Congressional Republicans offered $1.1 billion, with strings attached. … It’s possible that Congress’s latest failure is merely posturing — that lawmakers have made their partisan points and plan to approve funding for Zika next month when they reconvene. If so, it’s small comfort. Congress may take most of the summer off, but Aedes aegypti doesn’t” (6/30).