--- description: The president will submit a request to Congress on Monday title: President Obama Wants $1.8 Billion to Fight Zika Virus image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt365712b8d444ba4d/69887c91428a9e22b7cd14b4/508240610.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [White House](/tag/white-house/) ## White House Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # President Obama Wants $1.8 Billion to Fight Zika Virus ## Video: CDC Confirms Link Between Zika Virus And Birth Defects [Watch (HLS stream): CDC Confirms Link Between Zika Virus And Birth Defects](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/nYBEKNnO.m3u8) (1:03)  _Published 2016-01-18. Zika can infect embryonic cells that help form the brain, a lab study found_ by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 6:53 PM CUTPublished: Feb 8, 2016 1:36 PM CUT  An Aedes aegypti mosquito is photographed in a laboratory at the University of El Salvador, in San Salvador, on Feb. 3, 2016. An Aedes aegypti mosquito is photographed in a laboratory at the University of El Salvador, in San Salvador, on Feb. 3, 2016.Marvin Recinos—AFP/Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 6:53 PM CUTPublished: Feb 8, 2016 1:36 PM CUT President Obama is asking Congress to provide $1.8 billion in emergency funding to fight the Zika virus, the mosquito-borne illness that could be causing the proliferation of a rare birth defect in some Latin American countries. The president will submit a formal request to Congress on Monday requesting money to up increase mosquito control programs, help build response and support capacities in states and territories where transmission is possible, expand research into the link between the virus and birth defects, and help countries currently facing the virus keep it from spreading. “There is much we do not yet know about Zika and its relationship to the poor health outcomes that are being reported in Zika-affected areas,” a White House Fact Sheet reads. “We must work aggressively to investigate these outbreaks, and mitigate, to the best extent possible, the spread of the virus.” [Brazil has been hardest hit ](http://time.com/4209537/zika-birth-defects/ "undefined")by the virus, which has been detected in 26 countries and territories in the Americas. World health officials believe it could spread to three or four million people this year, including in the United States. The request also includes an additional $250 million in federal assistance in Puerto Rico for women and children who are at risk for or have been diagnosed with microcephaly, the birth disorder linked to the virus. A public health emergency has been declared in the U.S. territory because of the virus. Democrats in Congress pushed the president to formulate a [proper response plan for the virus](http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/02/05/senate-democrats-urge-obama-to-form-a-response-plan-to-zika-virus/ "undefined") and called for additional resources and an interagency response to fighting the virus. The White House has been insistent that the administration is responding aggressively to the virus, which has not yet been transmitted via mosquito in the U.S. The virus has already been transmitted on U.S. soil via sexual contact. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been actively working to keep the public informed about the virus. Officials are now advising pregnant women and their male partners to [use condoms or abstain](http://time.com/4209446/zika-virus-sexually-transmitted/ "undefined") from sex if either have traveled to or live in Zika infected areas. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4211801/zika-virus-obama-congress/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4211801/zika-virus-obama-congress/"},"headline":"President Obama Wants $1.8 Billion to Fight Zika Virus","datePublished":"2016-02-08T13:36:35.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T18:53:16.000Z","description":"The president will submit a request to Congress on Monday","url":"https://time.com/4211801/zika-virus-obama-congress/","keywords":["White House","Barack Obama","President Obama","Zika"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt365712b8d444ba4d/69887c91428a9e22b7cd14b4/508240610.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt365712b8d444ba4d/69887c91428a9e22b7cd14b4/508240610.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"EL SALVADOR-HEALTH-ZIKA-VIRUS","caption":"EL SALVADOR-HEALTH-ZIKA-VIRUS","creditText":"Marvin Recinos—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/white-house/","name":"White House"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4211801/zika-virus-obama-congress/","name":"President Obama Wants $1.8 Billion to Fight Zika Virus"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"CDC Confirms Link Between Zika Virus And Birth Defects","description":"Zika can infect embryonic cells that help form the brain, a lab study found","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/nYBEKNnO/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-01-18T15:12:06.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/nYBEKNnO.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4211801/zika-virus-obama-congress/","duration":"PT1M3S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4211801/zika-virus-obama-congress/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```