Last week, the House voted on H.R. 5243, the Zika Response Appropriations Act, which passed the House 241 to 183
Last week, the House voted on H.R. 5243, the Zika Response Appropriations Act, which passed the House 241 to 183. I voted yes.
Cases of the Zika virus have been reported in almost all the states by now, including South Carolina. While Zika is rarely lethal, if a pregnant woman contracts it, it can have serious consequences for the baby. Given that there are about 60,000 babies born each year in our state, it seems that the stakes of this disease are very high. So, it strikes me that a speedy and proportional response to the threat posed is necessary.
I thought this bill hit that mark because it was offset by reductions in spending elsewhere...in particular by moving money from Ebola accounts towards the new Zika emergency. Moving old spending that’s no longer needed towards new problems is how government programs should work but so rarely do.
I sent out a press release last week on this issue and wanted to share it with you.