In the thick of mosquito season, Congress is about to start its holiday break with no deal on money to combat the Zika virus -- and no signs that a compromise is looming in the five-month debate. But the Republicans controlling Congress instead forced the administration to redirect more than $500 million in unspent Ebola-fighting funds to combat Zika. The virus is spread mainly by a tropical mosquito and is causing an epidemic in Latin America and the Caribbean. “Our friends on the other side are stopping the Zika funding bill, which we all agreed … needed to be done by July 1,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. There are no known cases of Zika having been contracted within the 50 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Source: Fox News June 29, 2016 18:33 UTC