Letter to the Honorable Sylvia M. Burwell, Secretary of Health and Human Services - Push for Prioritized Funding of Zika Vaccine Development

Letter

Dear Secretary Sylvia Burwell,

We write in light of the Zika virus' latest alarming yet predictable development. As you are aware, there are now more than 15 locally transmitted cases of the Zika virus in Florida. We appreciate the dedication of you and your agency in working hard to take all steps possible to combat this disease and protect our constituents.

In your letter to House and Senate Appropriators earlier this month, we were extremely concerned to read that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority (BARDA) will exhaust the resources that they have received through repurposed Ebola funds by the end of August and that without additional resources their efforts to develop a Zika vaccine will be delayed.

As you know well, President Obama sent a letter to Speaker Ryan on February 22, 2016, requesting $1.9 billion in emergency funding to respond to the Zika virus. We support this request and support legislation to provide these necessary resources. Unfortunately, each attempt to fund the Administration's request has been blocked by the Republican majority.

Before Congress recessed, we repeatedly called on Republican leadership to take meaningful action to appropriate funds to combat Zika. In mid-July, we called on leadership to keep Congress in session until we found an appropriate response. Even now, when the Senate has the opportunity to use a pro forma session during recess to pass Zika funding without having to reconvene the Senate body, Republican leadership still refuses to act. It is unconscionable that Congress would do anything to delay protecting the American people, in particular pregnant women.

In light of these circumstances, we urge you to do what you can as Secretary to ensure that there is a sustainable funding stream for the development of a Zika vaccine, which is desperately needed to stop the spread of Zika. Additionally, it would help ensure that children are not born with Zika-related microcephaly or other birth defects.

We recognize that any options that involve moving resources from other parts of your budget require raiding other vital work that is being done at your Department. And, for this reason, we would only recommend this type of extraordinary step if there were no other choice. Unfortunately, the Republican Congress has left you no other options.

Sincerely,