Friday, May 13, 2016

Senate Strikes $1.1 Billion Bipartisan Deal to Pay for Zika Fight

The Senate has a bipartisan compromise deal to give President Barack Obama more than half the money he's asked for to fight the Zika virus, it was announced Thursday.

Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, a Republican, and Washington's Patty Murray, a Democrat, brokered the deal that would allocate $1.1 billion in emergency funding to help states prepare for Zika's arrival when mosquito season starts and to fund research into the virus and its effects. 

The compromise will come in the form of an amendment to a spending bill up for a vote next week.

Two other amendments are also on offer: one that would give Obama his full $1.9 billion request, and one that would offer $1.1 billion, but not as emergency funding. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: NBC News

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