The Senate Appropriations Committee’s top Republican said he has concerns about how the Obama administration would spend $6.2 billion in emergency funds it has requested from Congress to combat the Ebola virus.
Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama says that given the size of the request, the White House’s “slow progress” in detailing plans for how the money would be spent combating Ebola “deserves our careful oversight and scrutiny.”
“Instead of an effective response, however, what we have witnessed these past few months from various agencies has been confusing and, at times, contradictory,” he said Wednesday during a committee hearing on the administration’s response to Ebola.
The Republican said that, for example, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance to hospitals nationwide “has been a moving target.”
“This uncertainty may have exposed healthcare professionals to unnecessary risks,” he said.
Shelby added the administration has sent “mixed messages” on the issue of quarantines for people who possibly have been in contact with the virus. While President Obama has discouraged strict quarantine rules for civilian travelers, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel implemented a 21-day mandatory quarantine for troops returning from West Africa.
The senator also criticized the White House for not implementing enhanced airport screenings for travelers entering the U.S. from West Africa until months after the epidemic became severe.
“It still remains to be seen whether these cursory screenings will be effective,” Shelby said. “Not surprisingly, Americans have been frustrated by the lack of clarity and coordination within their government.”
Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., noted that while more than 13,000 cases of Ebola have been reported in West Africa, only nine cases have been reported in the United States. Eight of those patients recovered and one died.
But Shelby said the administration seems to be preparing only for a “best case scenario.”
“We should not rule out any reasonable options to prevent the reintroduction of Ebola in the U.S., including travel and visa restrictions,” he said.
