A coalition of Congressional Republicans sent a letter on Thursday to the Obama administration pushing back against a plan to shift funding from the BioShield special reserve fund (SRF) to help combat the emerging Zika virus.
The coalition was led by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), and was joined by U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN), and U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Richard Burr (R-NC).
“This proposal represents a substantial statutory change to remove the requirement for countermeasures procured under the BioShield Special Reserve Fund to be linked to a Material Threat Determination by the Department of Homeland Security, and, if enacted, would result in our nation being less prepared against serious threats,” the letter said.
The letter adds that the proposal risks damaging fragile public-private partnerships by eroding confidence in the federal government’s commitment to procure medical countermeasures, one of the roles the BioShield SRF plays in attracting and sustaining the private sector’s research and development of medical countermeasures against serious chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats.
The consistent decrease in funding, the letter warns, would not instill confidence that the federal government is the committee partner needed in these public-private partnerships.