Senator pushes for full funding to fight avian flu

President Bush's request for more than $7 billion in emergency funding to prepare for a possible outbreak of avian flu "had better pass" before Congress adjourns for the year, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., declared Sunday.

"We need to be prepared," Frist said during an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," adding, "I'm very hopeful that we will invest $7.1 billion to look at prevention, to look at care, to look at treatment."

The measure might be attached to the fiscal 2006 Defense appropriations bill, although some House conservatives are insisting that the $7 billion be offset.

Fears of a pandemic have increased as a virus infecting millions of birds has spread throughout Asia and parts of Europe. The so-called bird flu has not yet appeared in the United States or spread from person to person abroad, but officials worry that it could mutate and become highly contagious because humans have no immunity to it.

Frist said the spending request is only a fraction of an estimated $675 billion hit that the U.S. economy could take, with possibly 2 million dying from bird flu and up to 90 million sickened.

"I don't think it's going to happen right now or tomorrow," Frist said. "But if it does happen, it's devastating."

Frist said he hopes Congress will complete work on the spending cut portion of reconciliation before the end of the year, but said the tax portion may have to wait until early next year.

"I'm hopeful before we leave that we'll pass that spending reduction ... this week," Frist said. "I hope that the tax packages, both the House and the Senate, will go to conference and possibly get it done before we go, but in all likelihood it will be soon after we get back in late January or February."

In response to a question, Frist said access to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which is in the Senate's budget reconciliation bill, remains a "big difference" for conferees but he appeared optimistic it would remain in the conference report.