Udall, Heinrich Urge President to Take Robust & Aggressive Actions to Address The Spread of the Zika Virus & Ensure Disease is Contained to Prevent Outbreaks in the U.S.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 5, 2016) - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) urged President Obama to develop a coordinated interagency response plan to address the spread of the Zika virus both at home and abroad. In a letter, signed by all 46 Senate Democrats, the lawmakers call for the President to take a number of new actions, including taking the Zika virus into consideration as the Administration coordinates, and allocates resources in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY16, and moves forward with the President's upcoming FY17 budget request, or subsequent amendments. Additionally, Senate Democrats are urging President Obama to:

Develop a coordinated interagency response plan to address the Zika virus both at home and abroad;
Direct USAID and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to identify key gaps in the international and country-level response in order to best inform our response plan and disseminate, where appropriate, at border crossings and airports;
Ensure that federal agencies work with state and local partners to develop a cohesive national strategy for the monitoring, identification, and reporting of domestic Zika infections;
Direct HHS and the Department of Homeland Security to develop educational materials to inform travelers regarding the risk of Zika virus exposure;
Ramp up research efforts, including at the National Institutes of Health, to better understand the link between the Zika virus, microcephaly, Guillain-Barr+