Senate Advances $1.1B Zika Proposal Amid Clash With House Over Funding

By ALI WEINBERG
May 17, 2016, 4:49 PM ET

The Senate got one step closer today to passing a billion-dollar measure to fund the Obama administration’s efforts against the Zika virus -- pushing the chamber further down a collision course with the House as they work on vastly different funding measures to combat the virus.

The Senate’s amendment, which would fund anti-Zika efforts at $1.1 billion over an open-ended period, cleared a procedural hurdle by a 68-29 vote, setting up a vote on final passage for Wednesday. A separate measure that would have provided $1.9 billion in funding -- the Obama administration’s full request -- failed.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is working on its own package that would only provide a fraction of that -- setting up a clash between the two chambers as the risk for transmission of the virus in the United States only increases as the summer months approach.

Sen. Patty Murray, who helped craft the proposal that passed, took to the Senate floor ahead of the vote to stress the urgency of getting one of the billion-dollar packages to the president’s desk, which the senators hope will extend the funding through the end of the next fiscal year in June 2017.

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