Zika bites FY2017 funding process

Planned Parenthood funding is a sticking point for Congressional funding  for fight against Zika 

House and Senate leaders met with President Obama, Sept. 12, to discuss how to fund the federal government past Sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal year, while also providing emergency aid to combat the Zika virus.

These two items are at the top of the agenda now that Congress is back in session after a seven-week summer recess. With lawmakers eager to return home to campaign before the elections, it appears likely that Congress will seek to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to keep federal agencies funded into FY17 and avoid a government shutdown.

Complicating attempts to pass a stopgap-spending bill, however, is the debate over how to provide funding to combat Zika, which continued to spread while Congress was on recess. There are now more than 2,500 reported cases across the continental United States, including 600 pregnant women.

Early in September, the Senate failed to pass — for the third time — a $1.1 billion emergency supplemental funding package for Zika. Democrats objected to provisions in the package that would have eased environmental restrictions for mosquito spraying, and further afield, allow the Confederate flag to be flown on federal grounds and prohibit funds from going to Planned Parenthood affiliates.

Meanwhile, Senate Republican and Democratic appropriations leaders worked to negotiate a continuing resolution (CR) that would extend funding at FY16 levels through Dec. 9 and would include the $1.1 billion emergency Zika funding package. However, language that would prohibit Planned Parenthood-affiliated organizations in Puerto Rico from using anti-Zika funds remains a primary obstacle for agreement.

Talks are currently underway to possibly alter or remove the language restricting funds for Planned Parenthood from the Zika package, but it remains to be seen whether these negotiations will clear the way for the CR’s passage.

Quickly reaching an agreement is crucial to avoiding a shutdown of government agencies after Sept. 30 and providing emergency aid for Zika efforts. However, while an agreement on a short-term CR may provide funding to relieve pressure on the Zika front, Congress would still need to return in a lame-duck session after the elections to complete the full FY17 appropriations process.

House Republicans have indicated they would prefer to pass a series of smaller groups of appropriations bills, called “minibuses” in December rather than an omnibus, which would combine all 12 appropriations bills into one huge bill.