Pelosi Names Conferees to Recklessly Inadequate Republican Zika Conference

Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi today named House Democrats to serve on a conference committee of the House and Senate versions of the FY 2017 Military Construction-VA Appropriations bill as well as of Zika funding.  Both the House and Senate versions of Zika funding are far below the amount of the $1.9 billion emergency supplemental requested by the President and demanded by top U.S. public health officials.

"Republicans are going to conference with Zika bills that are reckless and radically unequal to the seriousness of the threat before us," said Leader Pelosi. "Our top public health officials have been extremely clear: $1.9 billion is the amount needed to protect American children and families from Zika. Anything less will severely damage our ability to respond to this virus, and endanger Americans across the country."

"Our House Democratic conferees will continue to shine a stark light on Republicans' reckless and frankly indefensible effort to shortchange the fight against this deeply frightening Zika virus," Pelosi continued. "While the Republican conferees debate how much to underfund the fight against Zika, Democrats will keep demanding the full emergency resources this crisis requires."

The House Democratic Conferees to the conference committee are:

• Congresswoman Nita Lowey of New York, Ranking Member, Committee on Appropriations
• Congressman José Serrano of New York
• Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut
• Congressman Sanford Bishop of Georgia
• Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida