Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say they have confirmed the link between the Zika virus and microcephaly, a condition where babies born to infected mothers have abnormally small heads. CDC Director Thomas Frieden said there is “no longer any doubt that Zika causes” the birth defect. This comes after officials said the type of mosquitoes that spread Zika are now in 30 U.S. states. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday Congress has not done enough to address the virus.
Press Secretary Josh Earnest: “You may be familiar with the expression of being a day late and a dollar short. In this case, Congress is two months late and $1.9 billion short in providing the assistance that our public health professionals say that they need to make sure that they respond appropriately to this situation. The bill that Congress passed yesterday doesn’t include any funding. It certainly doesn’t—so that’s not going to do anything to help local communities across the country that carry this virus—or fight the mosquitoes that carry this virus.”