Fleming and Gosar Want Congress Back in Washington to Take Up Ebola Travel Ban

Statement

Congressman John Fleming, M.D. (Louisiana), and Congressman Paul Gosar, D.D.S., (Arizona) released the following statement calling on Congress to return to Washington to debate a travel ban from the countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea:

"Congress needs to return to Washington to debate the issue of a travel ban to protect the American people from Ebola," said Fleming. "I have lost confidence in the Obama Administration and the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to adequately protect the American people from exposure to this deadly virus. At today's Congressional hearing, the CDC's Dr. Tom Frieden confirmed that 100-150 people arrive daily in the United States from so-called hot zones in West Africa, but he failed to answer why we're still allowing them to enter our country, and doing so without any kind of quarantine. Dr. Frieden claimed those individuals could be tracked, but that does nothing to stop their exposure to other people. Since President Obama is unwilling to lead on this issue, Congress must. The House and Senate should be called back into session to discuss and debate the protection of the American people through a travel ban. We should also further explore how to best contain and defeat this virus where the outbreak has already occurred, and prevent its spread beyond those borders."

"For more than a week, I, along with other members of Congress, have called for a travel ban between Ebola hot zones and the United States; but these calls from Members of Congress have fallen on deaf ears in the passive Obama Administration," said Gosar. "While the recent Ebola outbreak poses a real threat to the United States, the incompetence and indecisiveness of the CDC and the Obama Administration is just as dangerous. The protection of the American people is the most important role of our government. Because the President refuses to lead on this issue, it is of utmost importance that Congress clearly and expeditiously provide direction and leadership to address the threat of an Ebola epidemic spreading into the United States."

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