Members of Congress are leaving Washington for seven weeks without passing a bill to pay for the fight against Zika. Their failure to do so will delay the public health response to the mosquito-borne virus that causesbirth defects, unnecessarily putting thousands of people at risk.
As of July 7, 649 pregnant women appeared to be infected with Zika in American states and territories and nine babies had been born with birth defects linked to the virus. Public health experts believe that these numbers are likely to increase in the coming weeks as mosquitoes become more prevalent, especially in Florida, Hawaii and Texas. This calls for swift action by the government, but instead, the Republicans who control Congress are trying to exploit the crisis to advance ideological causes.
The House last month passed a bill that would allocate $1.1 billion to fight Zika by funding vaccine development, mosquito control efforts and other programs. But Republican lawmakers attached so many objectionable provisions to the measure that Democrats have effectively blocked the bill in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to cut off debate and bring legislation to a vote.
The biggest problem with the bill is that it would provide funds forcontraception and maternal care only through public health departments and Medicaid-run clinics. This provision is intended to freeze out private providers like Planned Parenthood, which Republicans love to hate. For no good reason, it would deny many women in Puerto Rico and Southern states who do not live near public health centers the care they need. It will not be lost on anyone that Republicans who are insisting on this condition are usually eager to embrace the private sector and to criticize government programs.
Another troubling aspect of the bill is that, to offset costs, it would rob other important programs of about $750 million; funding for Ebola, for example, would be cut by $107 million. The bill would also relax environmental laws by allowing businesses to spray pesticide near lakes, rivers and other waterways without notifying the Environmental Protection Agency. Republicans say this would make it easier for local governments to control mosquitoes — even though the law on pesticide spraying already has an exception for health emergencies.
The absence of funding, however temporary, is expected to cause major problems. Many local governments need federal assistance to control mosquitoes in the coming weeks. And researchers at the National Institutes of Health may be forced to stop tests on a potential vaccine as well as efforts to develop tools that can quickly diagnose Zika infections, which in most people do not cause any visible symptoms.
It’s always troubling to see good legislation hijacked to score political points. In this case the timing could not be worse.
