Washington Post: Rep. Brooks: House Republicans have acted on Zika virus
Rep. Susan W. Brooks (R-Ind.)

“…We can’t continue to respond from crisis to crisis. … [L]ong-term work is critical to enhancing our national biodefense preparedness, but it doesn’t change or diminish the need for immediate action to protect Americans from the devastating birth defects and complications associated with Zika virus. … The Obama administration has been critical of House Republicans’ response to the crisis. In reality, however, we have been taking action to respond to and help prepare for the threats that Zika virus poses since early this year. … The House and Senate will continue to work together to finalize a package of funding that is responsible and timely, and will help equip our country to meet the threat of Zika virus. … [and] to bolster the underlying biodefense enterprise so that when the next threat presents itself, we’re ready” (6/6).

The Hill: Zika virus threatening U.S. health security while Congress bickers
Tom Kenyon, president and CEO of Project HOPE

“…The Zika funding currently on the table is in itself insufficient. … Lawmakers are making a risky gamble that reduced Zika funding is sufficient when experts say it isn’t, that the Zika virus won’t be actively transmitted on the mainland when experts say it will, and that stepping back from Ebola control in Africa won’t threaten millions on the continent and U.S. soil again when experts say it could. Congress should rise above politics and fully fund the president’s full request quickly, before it is too late and we awaken one day to the tragic reality of American babies being born with serious birth defects from mosquito-borne Zika virus” (6/6).

The Hill: The time for action on Zika virus is now
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.)

“…The longer we wait for Congress to act, the more this virus will spread and the worse this problem will become. … As we head into these warmer summer months, the number of Americans infected with Zika will inevitably rise — especially in southern states such as Florida that will likely see a dramatic increase in the number of the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes capable of transmitting the virus. Congress cannot simply sit back and rest its hopes on two bills likely to fail. Our country is facing a serious threat and Congress must act immediately. Any further delay is simply unacceptable” (6/6).