The House on Thursday gave the green light for President Obama to spend an additional $700 million to combat the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa, but a Republican is blocking the money in the Senate.
Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., said he objects to a move by the Obama administration to shift the money within the Department of Defense so that it can be spent on the overseas operation, which so far involves deploying more than 4,000 troops to the front lines in Africa’s Ebola-stricken nations.
Inhofe said he is concerned the Department of Defense budget has been stretched too thin and wants more details about the mission.
“Sen. Inhofe is still working with the administration to get answers to his concerns he raised when the reprogramming request was approved two weeks ago,” an Inhofe aide told the Washington Examiner. “Sen. Inhofe understands the critical timeline with ensuring operations that have already been started can continue, and is working with the Pentagon to get these concerns addressed as soon as possible.”
In the House, meanwhile, both Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon, R-Calif., and Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers, R-Ky., signed off on the money transfer, which adds to the $50 million the House had already approved for the Defense Department to spend combating Ebola overseas.
McKeon said he made the decision to approve the money after Defense Department officials provided details about the mission.
“While I maintain concerns, particularly regarding the safety and security of our military personnel supporting this mission,” McKeon said in a statement, “the DOD has provided us with much of their force protection plan and the other information requested.”
The money will cover operating expenses for six months.
