Washington, DC – With a new public health threat on the horizon for our country, yesterday the U.S. Senate finally acted to provide some of the funding necessary to address the Zika virus. With repurposed funding running out and summer quickly approaching, The Arc and our national network of advocates are urging the House to step up and pass a bill that provides funding to address this issue.

“The clock is ticking, and with every passing day, we are less and less prepared to face this impending public health crisis. We have the ability to mitigate the impact of this mosquito- carried virus, with an investment in mosquito reduction, accelerated vaccine development, and better testing. But Congress has been wasting time, playing politics with public health. Thankfully, the Senate’s action yesterday to approve a down payment on addressing this issue is a step in the right direction. We urge the House to follow suit quickly,” said Peter Berns, CEO of The Arc.

In February, the White House asked for $1.9 billion for Zika vaccine development, better testing, and mosquito reduction. With no action taken by Congress, in April the White House transferred $589 million from money set aside to fight Ebola and other problems to work on Zika prevention efforts. But that’s far short of the amount health officials say they need to be effective and that funding will run out at the end of June. Yesterday, the Senate approved $1.1 billion to combat Zika this year and next year.

While Zika is usually harmless to adults, some women infected with Zika while pregnant give birth to babies with severely disabling brain injury, including microcephaly. Many of The Arc’s more than 650 chapters provide supports and services to families and people with a range of disabilities, including severe disabilities.

The Arc has long held a position on the prevention of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), supporting our national efforts to continue to investigate the causes, reduce the incidence and limit the consequences of IDD through education, clinical and applied research, advocacy, and appropriate supports. We firmly believe that prevention activities do not diminish the value of any individual, but rather strive to maximize independence and enhance quality of life for people with IDD.

The Arc advocates for and serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including Down syndrome, autism, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, cerebral palsy and other diagnoses. The Arc has a network of more than 650 chapters across the country promoting and protecting the human rights of people with IDD and actively supporting their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes and without regard to diagnosis.