Zika Funding

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price today to express his concerns over the administration’s plan to cut funding to several federal programs aimed at curbing the spread of the Zika virus.
Nelson’s letter comes just one day after the Treasure Coast reported its first case of the Zika virus this year.
“I am concerned the Administration’s budget proposal would damage our country’s ability to adequately respond to the Zika virus,” Nelson wrote. “No state has been harder hit than Florida … Unfortunately, the Administration’s budget fails to continue our commitment to protect America’s public health, and instead slashes the very programs that have been effective in combatting the spread of the Zika virus.”
“Families in Florida and throughout the country deserve better,” Nelson continued. “I urge you to reconsider these cuts, and I stand ready to work with you to provide the resources our country needs to respond to the Zika virus.”
More than 1,300 cases of the Zika virus were reported in Florida last year. The Florida Department of Health has reported at least 50 new cases of the virus this year, including 19 in Miami-Dade, 12 in Broward, 3 in Orange, 3 in Hillsborough and 3 in Palm Beach.