WASHINGTON — An election-year fight over addressing the spreading Zika virus intensified in the U.S. Congress as the Senate on Thursday approved $1.1 billion in emergency money one day after the House of Representatives voted $622.1 million financed through cuts to existing programs.
The two chambers now have to reach agreement on a bill before they can send it to President Barack Obama, who in February requested $1.9 billion. The White House has called the House measure “woefully inadequate.”
