Zika hits South Florida, but Donald Trump isn't worried
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump isn't alarmed by the rising number of mosquito-borne Zika cases in South Florida.
On Wednesday, Trump told CBS station WPEC that Zika is a "big problem" but Florida's governor Rick Scott is "gonna have it under control. He probably already does."
Earlier Wednesday, Scott expressed confidence the state health department would contain the outbreak but said it still needs federal funding tied up in Congress. "The president and Congress have not worked together to help us...this is an international issue," Scott told CNBC. Florida's congressional delegation has made similar pleas.
The Obama administration has requested $1.9 million for mosquito mitigation and research. A $1.1 billion bill pushed by Senate Republicans failed over objections from Democrats who said the bill would strip money from other health programs. President Obama also threatened to veto the bill.
Congress is on a summer recess until early September.
Asked whether Republican leaders should call a special session of Congress to take up a Zika funding bill, Trump said, "I would say that it's up to Rick Scott."
But Scott has no control over the federal legislative calendar.
CBS News asked Trump for an interview to explain his plan to fight the virus, but Hope Hicks, a campaign spokeswoman, declined the request. Upon further inquiry, the campaign did not respond to a request for information about his plan.
The Zika virus can cause microcephaly and other brain birth defects. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended pregnant women avoid an area just north of downtown Miami where more than 10 locally-transmitted cases have been reported. The state of Florida is offering free testing to expectant mothers.
Scott endorsed Trump shortly after the state's March primary.