Republicans in both the House and Senate are moving forward with legislation to fight the Zika virus after months of Democratic pressure, but their proposals differ sharply, according to The Hill.
Here are five observations:
1. In the Senate, Republicans worked with Democrats to craft a bill with $1.1 billion in new funding to fight the virus. That measure advanced in the Senate on Tuesday by a vote of 68 to 29.
2. However, in the House, Republicans on Monday unveiled Zika legislation with $622 million in funding, which is both below the Senate's level of funding and far less than the $1.9 billion sought by the White House.
3. In addition, the cost of the House bill is offset partly by redirecting money that had been set aside for responding to the 2014 Ebola virus epidemic.
4. Democrats denounced the House bill on Tuesday, bolstered by a veto threat from the White House.
5. Lawmakers said they expect an eventual conference committee to try to find a way to work out the differences between the House and Senate measures.
