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Boxer Introduces CDC Emergency Response Act

Press Release

Date: Sept. 8, 2016
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: National Security Minors and Children Health and Health Care

Today, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Emergency Response Act of 2016 that would create a $2 billion Emergency Response Fund that the CDC Director could access to respond to public health emergencies as soon as they arise. The bill also includes robust Congressional oversight to ensure funds are spent prudently, while ensuring the nation's public health response is not stalled by politics.

"This legislation will ensure that when there is a public health emergency or the threat of a public health emergency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can respond immediately to prevent it from becoming a national or global crisis," Senator Boxer said.

The CDC Emergency Response Act of 2016 would insulate the nation's public health response from the politics that have plagued our response to the Zika virus. In February, the President requested $1.9 billion to combat the Zika virus. For more than seven months, Congress has failed to fund this request despite the fact that local transmission has now reached the continental United States and a growing body of research has shown that the virus can cause serious health issues. The Zika virus, which is transmitted through bites from the same kinds of mosquitos that carry dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya, can also be transmitted through sexual intercourse. In most cases the symptoms of Zika are mild, but increasing data has shown that the virus can cause severe birth defects, including microcephaly in babies born to infected mothers, as well as possible neurological effects and paralysis in adults. The Zika virus has already infected 2,964 people across the United States, according to the CDC's website.

On July 13, 2016, Senator Boxer discussed her draft legislation at a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing on the risks and response to the Zika virus in the Western Hemisphere with CDC Director, Dr. Tom Frieden, and other federal officials.


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