It all started with the Senate easily passing a $1.1 billion bipartisan measure to combat the Zika virus on Tues., May 17, which amounted to $800 million less than the $1.9 billion requested by President Obama in February. Senators voted 68-29 to advance the amendment to provide emergency funding.
As written in the amendment by Senators Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., the funds would be used for mosquito control, public education and development of a vaccine for the virus.
Republican House leaders passed their own legislation on Wed., May 18, that would provide $622 million in emergency funding, which would be paid for in part by using money allocated to fight Ebola. The Obama administration already threatened to veto the House bill and did not comment on the Senate measure.
Now that both bills have passed they must be further negotiated until an agreement is reached, which NBC News reported "could be a long way off," based on feedback it had received from congressional sources.
According to USA Today there have been more than 500 cases of Zika in the continental U.S., but all of them have been connected to travel to Latin America or the Caribbean. However, it is expected that the Zika virus will spread more widely across the U.S. during the summer mosquito season.
Click here for additional coverage from NBC News on the House vote.
