Editor's note: The following is an opinion piece, and the views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Military Times or its editorial staff.
As the Zika virus has continued to spread in recent months, Congress has repeatedly failed to provide additional funding to combat it. This has made all Americans more vulnerable, including the men and women in uniform who defend our freedoms around the world.
To date, at least 85 service members and 21 of their dependents have contracted Zika since the Pentagon began tracking infections earlier this year. These are not statistics, they are real people.
At the start of June, I introduced an amendment to the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act aimed at preventing these infections. The measure would have increased anti-Zika protections for our troops serving in places impacted by the virus, and ensured our military was working closely with our allies to step up their own precautions around U.S. bases overseas.
Despite the seemingly uncontroversial nature of these provisions, politics got in the way and prevented the proposal from being included in the Senate-passed version of the NDAA.
This has been a recurring theme in Congress throughout the Zika outbreak.
The threat has loomed larger and larger, with infection rates accelerating and warning signs blaring, yet members of both parties have blocked common-sense spending measures from moving forward. On 12 separate occasions, I have voted to move Zika-related legislation forward in the U.S. Senate, yet Congress still hasn't gotten the job done.
With more than 100 members of our military and their families now infected with Zika — including three pregnant women — we have to keep working. Members of Congress have a special obligation to support those who fight for our country.
That's why I reintroduced my NDAA amendment this month as a standalone bill. The Servicemembers' Zika Protection Act (S.3290) would authorize the secretary of defense to redirect medical research funds at his disposal toward fighting this virus, and help make sure our troops and overseas bases are better protected.
Airman Kristina Dugan, a public health technician, counts and logs mosquitoes at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida this past July. (Ilka Cole/Air Force)
It's inexcusable for Washington to play political games with this public health crisis, especially when it comes to protecting our troops. Our military men and women face enough threats without having to worry about mosquitoes and the potential lasting effects of this awful virus, including for their unborn children.
Ultimately, we need a bill that will protect all Americans and provide our health officials and experts with the resources they need to develop a vaccine and eradicate Zika. Congress is close to a bipartisan solution, and I'm hopeful we will come to an agreement very soon.
Too many lives will be devastated if we fail to do so.
Rubio is a United States senator from Florida. He is a Republican.
