Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is pressing the Obama administration to get money out the door to fight the Zika virus faster.
In a letter to President Obama, the former presidential candidate, now running for reelection to the Senate, pointed to reports that indicate as much as $384 million in funds for Zika remain unused.
“Funding is critical and needs to be implemented swiftly to provide the assistance to the states, such as Florida, to combat the Zika virus,” Rubio writes.
Rubio has broken from his party in a high-profile way to support the White House’s request for $1.9 billion in funds to fight the mosquito-borne virus rapidly spreading throughout Latin America. But since Congress left for its summer recess without providing new money, Rubio is pointing to the need to spend existing money.
Rubio also highlighted several cases in Florida, which are currently being investigated, that could be the first instances of Zika being transmitted by mosquitoes in the United States.
“Evidence is mounting to suggest local transmission via mosquitoes is going on in South Florida,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesman Tom Skinner told Reuters on Wednesday. Read more here. https://bit.ly/2ahO4WQ
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Trans fat rule awaiting White House approval
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is moving forward with a plan to ban trans fat from junk food.
The White House’s Office of Management and Budget this week began reviewing a proposed rule from the FDA that would crack down on partially hydrogenated oils, which are the biggest source of trans fat.
The FDA announced the effort to ban trans fat last summer but is now formally sending the proposed rule to the White House for approval.
Trans fats are known to raise cholesterol, which can lead to heart disease.
“Removing [partially hydrogenated oils] from processed foods could prevent thousands of heart attacks and deaths each year,” the FDA estimates. Read more here. https://bit.ly/2azJkOQ
FDA calls for Zika protections for blood supply in Florida
The Food and Drug Administration is calling on Miami-Dade and Broward Counties to halt collections of blood donations until they can put in place adequate testing for the Zika virus.
The move comes in response to investigations of several cases that could be the first instances of mosquitoes transmitting Zika in the continental United States.
The FDA said the decision was made “in consideration of the possibility of local transmission of the Zika virus, and as a prudent measure to help assure the safety of blood and blood products.” Read the full announcement here.
ON TAP TOMORROW
The NIH’s Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks at a Bipartisan Policy Center event on Zika funding at 11 a.m.
WHAT WE’RE READING
At the DNC, the debate over drug prices gives way to charcuterie and cheese. (Stat)
Anthem links ObamaCare expansion with approval of Cigna acquisition. (Politico)
IN THE STATES
Florida investigates two more suspected local Zika cases. (USA Today)
Utah Planned Parenthood scraps condoms with Mormon symbol. (CBS News)
