Rubio renews push to protect military members from Zika virus

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) renewed his push on Thursday to reintroduce legislation that would provide additional protections from the Zika virus to U.S. military men and women, including those serving in high-risk areas.

“At the start of June, I introduced an amendment to the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would have provided additional anti-Zika protections to our troops who are serving in places impacted by the virus,” Rubio said. “It also would have ensured our military is working closely with our allies to step up their own precautions around our bases overseas. Despite these commonsense provisions being uncontroversial, the amendment was not included in the final bill.

“Now, with the threat of Zika growing and at least 41 of our service members testing positive for the virus, it’s more important than ever to enact these measures and increase the anti-Zika protections for our troops. That’s why I plan to reintroduce this legislation as a stand-alone bill as soon as the Senate reconvenes, because our troops face enough threats without having to worry about mosquitos and the lasting effects of Zika.”

Rubio previously decried the Senate’s inability to pass any meaningful Zika-related legislation before the summer recess.