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Countering Senate Deal, Rubio, Nelson Offer Bipartisan Zika Deal Funding Obama’s Request

blogs.wfsu.org

A $1.1 billion deal may be on the table to help combat the Zika virus in Congress. But, it falls short of President Obama’s $1.9 billion request. Now, two Florida Senators say they’re working on a bipartisan deal that accomplishes that goal.

In a joint statement Thursday, U.S. Senators Bill Nelson, a Democrat, and Marco Rubio, a Republican, say they plan to attach the legislation to a military spending bill to fund the President’s full request.

Originally, Nelson had sponsored a similar bill. It had 35 cosponsors—all Democrats. Still, despite not signing off on that measure, Rubio spoke before the Senate several times in favor of the President’s request—as he did Wednesday.

“The moment to act has come because right now, we are facing right now here in Washington D.C. a debate about this issue about how much money we’re going to spend on it, and look, the President has proposed $1.9 billion to deal with it,” said Rubio, at the time.

Rubio and Nelson’s amendment to help fund ways to combat the mosquito-borne disease that also causes birth defects could be considered next week.

For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter: @SaschaCordner.

Sascha Cordner has more than ten years of public radio experience. It includes working at NPR member station WUFT-FM in Gainesville for several years. She's worked in both radio and TV, serving in various capacities as a reporter, producer and anchor. She's also a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications. She is the recipient of 15 awards from the Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and Edward R. Murrow. Her award-winning stories include her coverage on the infamous “Dozier School for Boys” and a feature titled "Male Breast Cancer: Lost in the Sea of Pink." Currently, Sascha serves as the host and producer of local and state news content for the afternoon news program "All Things Considered" at WFSU. Sascha primarily covers criminal justice and social services issues. When she's not reporting, Sascha likes catching up on her favorite TV shows, singing and reading. Follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter:@SaschaCordner.