Obama Urges Congress To Approve Emergency Ebola Funding; House Panel Hears Testimony On Efforts

News outlets report on comments made Tuesday regarding the U.S. response to Ebola from President Barack Obama and other lawmakers and officials.

Agence France-Presse: Obama says Ebola fight far from over in W. Africa
“U.S. President Barack Obama warned Tuesday that the fight to stem the Ebola outbreak was far from over in West Africa, and called for continued vigilance despite some progress in the region…” (11/18).

Bloomberg News: Obama Warns Ebola Threat Remains Until Outbreak Halted in Africa
“President Barack Obama said the death of an Ebola patient in Nebraska [Monday] is a reminder of how the danger will remain until the outbreak is contained at the source in Africa…” (Keane, 11/18).

The Hill: Obama: ‘We cannot be complacent’ on Ebola
“President Obama warned Tuesday that the deadly Ebola virus ‘is still going to be a danger’ to Americans as he pressed lawmakers to approve more than $6 billion in emergency funding to fight the disease…” (Sink, 11/18).

Reuters: Obama says West Africa still has far to go in containing Ebola
“… ‘We are nowhere near out of the woods yet in West Africa,’ Obama told reporters as he met top advisers, including Ebola response coordinator Ron Klain…” (Holland, 11/18).

VOA News: Obama: ‘Push Forward’ in Fight Against Ebola
“…Members of the U.S. Congress are examining how to help West Africa’s struggle to cope with the outbreak, including with medical needs, logistics, and disease education…” (11/18).

Wall Street Journal: Obama: ‘Nowhere Near Out of the Woods’ on Ebola
“…Mr. Obama’s remarks came a day after the death of Martin Salia, a surgeon who contracted Ebola working in Sierra Leone and was admitted Saturday to the Nebraska Medical Center’s biocontainment unit in Omaha. He was the 10th Ebola patient to be treated in the U.S. and the second to die…” (Tau, 11/18).

Washington Post: Obama on Ebola in West Africa: ‘We are nowhere out of the woods’
“…[White House Press Secretary Josh] Earnest said that the White House has been ‘candid’ about the fact that while it is very unlikely that there will be a widespread Ebola outbreak in the United States, ‘the risk to the American people is not eliminated until the disease has been stopped in its tracks in West Africa’…” (Zezima, 11/18).

The Hill: GOP renews attack on Obama’s Ebola response
“House Republicans are again aiming criticism at President Obama’s response to Ebola, renewing calls for travel bans and quarantines, even as public attention on the disease continues to wane. Rep. Tim Murphy, who leads the House Oversight Committee’s health subpanel, on Tuesday slammed the administration for repeatedly opposing policies that have been adopted by ‘respected institutions,’ such as the U.S. military…” (Ferris, 11/18).

NBC News: Bases Covered: U.S. and Africa Need Ebola-Ready Hospitals, Experts Say
“The United States must establish a network of Ebola-qualified hospitals both at home and in the West African countries fighting the growing epidemic, experts said Tuesday. … ‘There is an urgent need to reinforce basic public health systems in countries, such as those in West Africa, where disease threats can quickly arise and ultimately threaten the health of Americans,’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Thomas Frieden told a hearing of the House oversight subcommittee…” (Fox, 11/18).

Washington Times: House Republicans push for Ebola travel ban
“House Republicans begged for clarity from the Obama administration, saying a series of early missteps shook their faith in the U.S. response, while the nation’s largest union of registered nurses called on the Labor Department to mandate optimal protection for health care workers who might treat Ebola in American hospitals…” (Howell, 11/18).

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