Questioning the Federal Government’s Slow Response on Zika Spending

I wrote to two federal agencies seeking answers on why they have been slow to distribute $589 million to fight the Zika virus, which has now entered the continental United States. 

In the meantime, the Administration and congressional allies have criticized the congressional majority for not giving final approval to more spending.

Roll Call reports that the Administration is “struggling to explain why it is pressing Congress for more money to fight the Zika virus while sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars that it already controls and could be used instead.”

Everyone agrees that fighting Zika is critical, and agency officials have been sounding the alarm, so it’s unclear why the agencies have been slow to distribute available federal funds to fight the illness and short on effective strategies and information to the public.

Taxpayers have the right to expect that these agencies are ready to protect all of us from public health threats and to use the money already on hand before asking for more. 

I look forward to answers on how the $589 million to fight Zika is being spent, as well as information on what the agencies are doing with their existing resources. The agency responses are overdue. I’ll keep pressing on taxpayers’ behalf.

Click here to read Radio Iowa’s coverage of the issue.