Schatz Named to Bicameral Conference Committee on Zika Funding
Schatz Continues To Push For Full Funding Requested by Health Experts
WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, Senate leaders named U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, to the House-Senate conference committee that will negotiate funding to fight the Zika virus. As part of the select group of senators, Schatz’s selection ensures that Hawai‘i’s unique public health concerns will be voiced during negotiations.
“Zika is a public health emergency,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. “While I am glad both chambers passed critical funding to address Zika, there are real differences we need to resolve. I look forward to working with my colleagues to secure the highest possible funding to stop the spread of Zika and keep our communities safe and healthy.”
The conference committee will come together to resolve the differences between the House and Senate Zika funding bills. The Senate moved forward with $1.1 billion in a wide-ranging appropriations bill that funds transportation, housing, military construction, and veterans affairs, while the House included its package in similar appropriations legislation and passed just $622 million in emergency funding, far below the $1.9 billion requested by public health experts.
Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, has been continually calling for funding and coordination to improve vector-control programs to help stop the spread of both dengue and Zika.
In April, Senator Schatz visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters and met with top officials to discuss the CDC’s response to outbreaks of dengue and Zika. During the meetings, Senator Schatz called for stronger vector-control programs to fight the spread of mosquito-borne viruses. Zika and dengue are transmitted by the same mosquito population, making vector-control programs a key component of preventing outbreaks. Schatz also led eight senators in calling on the Senate Appropriations Committee to increase funding for vector-control programs at the CDC.
