Moran, Roberts of Kansas oppose anti-Zika funding on final vote

By a vote of 68-29, the Senate voted Tuesday to end a filibuster and provide $1.1 billion to address the Zika virus crisis.

On that vote — the last of three — Sens. Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts of Kansas voted to keep the filibuster going and kill the funding. Sens. Roy Blunt and Claire McCaskill of Missouri voted to end the filibuster and advance the money.

Blunt helped assemble the compromise language. “No one should think that spending money on Zika has been held back because the Congress is just now moving forward,” Blunt said, according to the Associated Press.

The funds will be added as an amendment to a spending bill. The House is already working on a different bill that spends about half as much, and the White House calls it inadequate.

Moran and Roberts did vote for an amendment that would have funded the anti-Zika virus effort, but would have taken the money from the Affordable Care Act. That amendment failed to overcome a filibuster and died.

The pair opposed an amendment with a higher level of anti-Zika spending. That amendment failed to ovecome a filibuster as well.

The White House had asked for $1.9 billion to address Zika.

The House is expected to consider the Zika funding issue this week. Republicans want to “pay for” the Zika money by cutting other programs.