House Republicans introduce $622 million Zika bill

House Republicans introduced a bill Monday that would direct an additional $622 million to fighting the Zika virus, The Hill reports. The funding bill, which the House Appropriations Committee said is paid for in part by leftover money allocated to addressing Ebola, comes amid mounting pressure from congressional Democrats and the White House.

Republican legislators had initially planned to wait and address Zika funding next year. The House is expected to vote on the bill this week. In February, President Obama called for $1.9 billion in Zika funding.

Health officials say the mosquito-borne virus, declared a public health emergency in February, poses a larger threat to the U.S. than initially thought. Zika has been confirmed to be linked to the birth defect microcephaly, and is thought to be linked to other conditions.

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