Should Unspent Funds from the Response to Ebola be Used to Deal With the Zika Virus? (S. 2518)

What is S. 2518?

(Updated March 15, 2018)

This bill would allow federal funds that were previously allocated to be used in responding to the Ebola outbreak to be used in Zika virus response and preparedness efforts as well.

It would cover all funds made available to prepare and respond to the Ebola outbreak under appropriations bills that had been previously enacted.

Argument in favor

Funds that were appropriated to deal with the Ebola virus but are sitting unused are a logical resource that should be used immediately in combating the spread of the Zika virus. It’s the fastest way to get the funding where it’s needed.

Argument opposed

Using idle Ebola funds to combat the Zika virus is a short term solution that ignores the possibility that the Ebola virus may not remain contained. Zika is a unique challenge that needs its own response.

Impact

Funds that had been appropriated to address the Ebola virus, and the federal agencies administering those funds.

Cost of S. 2518

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) introduced this bill as a way to put unused Ebola funding to use in fighting the Zika virus as quickly as possible:

“We need to be prepared for emerging diseases that could prove devastating. The swiftest way of funding necessary steps is to broaden the uses permitted for unspent funds reserved for an outbreak that has been contained in the United States. Preventing pandemics is crucial to protecting the security of America, the mission of my committee and something we can all agree on.”

The Obama administration has proposed spending $1.8 billion on fighting Zika, but has pushed back against attempts to repurpose the bulk of the unused Ebola funding. About $1.4 billion in funding allocated to the Dept. of Health and Human Services to fight Ebola in 2014 remains unused, while the State Department has an additional $1.3 billion in unspent funds.

Of Note: Between January 1, 2015 and February 24, 2016 there were 107 reported cases of the Zika virus in U.S. states — all of which were travel related. Another 40 cases were reported in U.S. territories, all but one of which were locally acquired.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases believes that human testing of a Zika vaccine will begin as early as August 2016, and the vaccine could be granted an accelerated  approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before the end of 2017.

Media:

• Sponsoring Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) Press Release
  
• The Atlantic
  
• Bloomberg
  
• The Hill