The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) believes that a robust federal, state, Tribal, and territorial public health response are critical to our ability to respond to Zika and prevent the terrible birth defects it causes. NIHB has been working with a coalition of over 60 national and regional organizations to encourage both the House and Senate to provide emergency supplemental funding to combat Zika virus at or near the President's requested levels, and to reject proposals that fall far short of those amounts, particularly those that would fund efforts against Zika by cutting other vital domestic or global public health programs and priorities (like H.R. 5243). Since both chambers have passed their respective versions of legislation, the next step will be to negotiate a version that both chambers agree upon that can be sent to the President for approval. NIHB is doing targeted outreach to policymakers to ensure that whatever funding level is enacted, is enacted quickly and will hold Tribes and Tribal organizations eligible for direct funding, in parity with states and territories. Additionally, it is crucial that Congress uphold the federal trust responsibility by holding harmless the Indian Health Service budget from being used as an offset to fund this public health emergency. Read more about the crisis and NIHB's efforts on this important public health issue here.