As mosquito season approaches, New York's senators are urging colleagues in Congress to pass emergency funding to fight the spread of the Zika virus.
Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand say more than 1,200 Americans have contracted the virus while traveling abroad, including more than 100 New Yorkers.
Health officials say the virus has not spread to the mainland U.S., but the mosquitos carrying the virus are expected to travel north as temperatures heat up.
Schumer and Gillibrand are pushing for $1.9 billion of emergency funding that would go towards research, developing a vaccine, and mosquito control.
Last week, the Senate approved more than $1 billion in funding to fight Zika, but Schumer says the House's response is unacceptable.
"The House has done two bad things," the senior senator said. "First, they've only approved $600 millon, all the authorities will tell us that's not enough.
"But second, because of their reluctance to vote any new dollars for anything even a potential emergency like Zika they're taking the money out of Ebola prevention. Now, Ebola's not here, but that takes work."
Health experts say the Zika virus has been linked to serious birth defects, including microcephaly, which is an abnormal smallness of the head.