WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) today issued the following statement following House passage of H.R. 897, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2015:
“Last week, the House voted to reprioritize existing dollars so we can increase the total amount of funds available to fight the Zika virus this year to $1.2 billion. Today, the House is ensuring this money will be focused on its intended purpose — killing mosquitoes — and not lost to bureaucratic red tape. Spraying for and killing mosquitoes remains the best possible solution for combating this deadly virus. Even though the pesticides used to spray mosquitoes are already federally and state approved, ridiculous EPA regulations make it harder for local governments to get the permits they need to kill mosquitoes near sources of water where they breed. Communities need to have all the tools necessary to fight the Zika virus, and this common-sense bill removes costly and unnecessary EPA red tape so these new Zika funds can be spent most effectively killing mosquitoes and finding a vaccine for this deadly virus.”