WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A Republican bill to provide $1.1 billion to fight the Zika virus failed to clear a procedural hurdle in the Senate on Tuesday.
In a largely party-line vote, the Senate voted 52 to 48 to move forward with the legislation, falling well short of the 60 votes needed.
Democrats largely opposed the bill due to the inclusion of so-called 'poison pills' related to Planned Parenthood and environmental regulations.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., accused Republicans of providing a goody bag for the fringes of the GOP despite the threat posed by the Zika virus.
'This conference report is disgraceful,' Reid said. 'It's shameful to use a real-life public health crisis to push the radical Republican agenda.'
Reid also noted that the funding provided by the bill is well below the $1.9 billion requested by President Barack Obama in February.
Meanwhile, Republicans argued that it is Democrats that are playing politics with a mounting public health crisis.
Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., described the vote as the latest example of Democrats choosing to coarsen political divisions rather than pass meaningful solutions to serious challenges.
'The American people are demanding their elected representatives address this public health crisis now - not whenever it seems politically convenient,' McCain said.
He added, 'I urge Senate Democrats to change course and give our medical community the resources they need to stop the spread of this dangerous disease.'
The Zika virus, which is mainly spread by a tropical mosquito, has been linked to serious birth defects in babies of pregnant women who are infected with the virus.
The partisan gridlock over the bill has raised concerns regarding whether lawmakers will manage to provide funding to combat the virus before the summer recess.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX