After stand-off with Congress, White House robs Ebola fund to pay for Zika

(credit: CDC)

As health experts brace for the possibility that Zika will invade the mainland US, politicians are squabbling over funding for domestic defense systems, including mosquito control and vaccine development.

In February, the Obama Administration requested $1.8 billion in emergency funds to fight off the virus. But Congressional Republicans argued that money allotted to fight Ebola in West Africa could be used instead. On Wednesday, after a two-month-long impasse, the White House announced that $510 million of the $2.7 billion earmarked to battle Ebola would be transferred to the Zika fight. The administration will repurpose an additional $79 million from other accounts, including funds for emergency medical supplies during epidemics and national vaccine stockpiles.

(credit: White House/CDC)

But even with the $589 million, health officials and the administration argue that they need more funding to fight Zika. The money would go to developing diagnostics and a vaccine, as well as to mosquito surveillance and control.

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