Lawmakers Seek Update from Obama Administration on Ebola Outbreak

iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Committee leaders in Washington are seeking answers from the Obama administration regarding the global outbreak of the Ebola virus, calling for more information on preparedness and response efforts at home and abroad.

“While U.S. public health officials have offered assurances — both publicly and during briefings with committee staff — that the Ebola outbreak can be controlled, they are expressing increasingly dire warnings about its growth and the need for quick, decisive action,” a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell reads.

Energy & Commerce Committee leaders say they are looking to understand what has led up to increased warnings and are searching for more on current screening protocols, as well as those for containment and post-recovery. Lawmakers are also requesting information on the amount of federal funds spent on the effort, along with the risk Ebola poses to the U.S.

“Congress is greatly concerned about the ongoing Ebola outbreak and monitoring the situation closely. We must be diligent in our work to protect the public health and safety of all Americans and ensure we take the steps necessary to avoid a disastrous global outbreak,” Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) said.

Other members who signed the letter included Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy (R-PA), Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R-PA), Chairman Emeritus Joe Barton (R-TX), Vice Chairman of the Health and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittees Michael C. Burgess (R-TX), and full committee Vice Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

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