WAR ON EBOLA: President Obama Seeks $6.18 Billion To Fight Against Ebola

As the threat of Ebola becoming a global pandemic rages on, the Obama administration is seeking more funding from the U.S. Congress in order to aid the fight against the disease. The U.S. President has, in a letter addressed to the Congress, asked the House to approve a $6.18 billion fund that would be used to combat Ebola. According to NBC News, the money would be used to fight the rapid spread of Ebola in both the United States as well as the worst-affected Western African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The report adds that if President Obama does get the funding approved, it would be a major boost in the fight against Ebola. The dreaded disease has claimed the lives of over 5,000 people across the globe. The United States, too, recently reported the first confirmed cases of Ebola.

The request for the funding comes on the eve of the results of the recent elections in which the Republicans strengthened their hold on the house. Obama, however, has a two month time frame within which he can get the Ebola funding approved before the new legislators are sworn into the house.

In the letter, a copy of which has been released by the White House, President Obama appeals to the current Congress.

“Today, I ask the Congress to consider the enclosed emergency appropriations request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 that includes $6.18 billion to implement a comprehensive strategy to contain and end the Ebola outbreak at its source in Africa, enhance domestic preparedness, speed the procurement and testing of vaccines and therapeutics, and accelerate global capability to prevent the spread of future infectious diseases.”

“The request includes $4.64 billion for immediate needs and $1.54 billion in contingency funding to ensure that there are resources available to respond to the evolving Ebola epidemic both domestically and internationally. This funding structure was used by the Congress in 2009 for the emergency supplemental for the H1N1 pandemic influenza.”

Addressing the needs of the American public, Obama reiterated that his first priority is still to protect the health and safety of Americans.

“My foremost priority is to protect the health and safety of Americans, and this request supports all necessary steps to fortify our domestic health system and prevent any Ebola outbreaks at home. Over the longer term, my Administration recognizes that the best way to prevent additional cases at home will be to contain and eliminate the Ebola epidemic at its source in Africa,” he added.

House Speaker John Boehner said the appropriations committee would review the request. Kevin Smith, a spokesman for Boehner told Reuters that bipartisan compromise was possible.

“We’ll continue to work with our members and the administration to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect the public from Ebola.”

Meanwhile, the Ebola epidemic has shown signs of slowing down in Liberia and Guinea. It is, however, still on the rise in Sierra Leone, as per a recent WHO report.

Do you think the U.S. government should play a leading role in helping quash the threat posed by Ebola?

Source: Inquisitr