"The Democrats' request includes only funding for Zika and leaves the rest of the important priorities behind," Mitch McConnell said. | Getty Senate war escalates over Zika

Senate Democrats are making a last-ditch effort to resuscitate a measure providing funding to combat the Zika virus, but Republicans have already panned their offer — escalating the partisan blame game as Congress prepares to leave for a summer recess without finishing a Zika bill.

In a pitch to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) called for striking several provisions in the Zika measure loathed by Democrats.


Among the changes pushed by Democrats: splitting the $1.1 billion Zika funding portion from the rest of the military and veterans funding measure; getting rid of a provision using Obamacare to offset some of the Zika cost; and striking references to the “social services block grant” — which Democrats say include offending provisions that go after Planned Parenthood.

But Republicans have made it clear that the only Zika measure that can be sent to the White House before recess is the one passed by the GOP-controlled House — over Democratic objections.

And the Democratic offer also gives cover to rank-and-file Democrats to vote against the Republican measure when McConnell brings it up for a second vote this week. They have already blocked it by filibuster once. The White House has also threatened to veto the measure.

On Tuesday, McConnell reiterated Republicans’ unyielding, take-it-or-leave-it position on Zika and emphasized that he has stressed the same message in private conversations with President Barack Obama and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell.

An administration official said Obama spoke with McConnell by phone on June 30 as he congratulated the Senate leader on steering through Puerto Rico bankruptcy legislation. In that conversation, Obama also told McConnell that he would sign Zika legislation in the mold of the measure that passed the chamber earlier this year with 89 votes.

“I’ve explained to them how the Senate and House works,” McConnell said. “A conference report is not amendable. What the Senate Democrats are trying to do will not achieve an outcome.”

In a floor speech Tuesday afternoon, Reid disclosed that the White House last week had tried to arrange a meeting of the top four congressional leaders with Burwell and Shaun Donovan, director of the Office of Management and Budget. The administration official confirmed the attempt.

“Speaker Ryan and Sen. McConnell said ‘no’ to the meeting,” Reid said on the floor. “They wouldn’t meet with the two members of the president’s Cabinet.”

Reid made the Democratic offer to McConnell — a proposal that mirrors the original $1.1 billion plan that passed the Senate in May — on Monday afternoon, a senior Democratic source said.

“The Democrats’ request includes only funding for Zika and leaves the rest of the important priorities behind,” McConnell said on the Senate floor Tuesday morning, alluding to the offer. “The conference report that the House passed includes full funding for Zika, funding for military construction, funding for veterans programs and temporary but meaningful reforms to ensure that we’re able to combat mosquito-borne illnesses during the summer months.”

