October 30, 2014

Contact: Brendan Thomas
Phone: (202) 225-0664
E-mail: brendan.thomas@mail.house.gov

REP. ROKITA AND HOUSE TAKE ACTION TO STOP EBOLA IN U.S.

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Todd Rokita is leading the way with his House colleagues to protect Americans from Ebola in the absence of firm leadership from the Administration.

“The President is refusing to do the obvious, to ban flights from Ebola-infected countries and suspend travel visas to prevent carriers from arriving in the United States,” said Rokita. This week he and 26 other congressmen sent a letter to President Obama, urging him to take action against Ebola, including mandatory quarantines for travelers from affected areas.

“Congress must again lead efforts to address Americans’ concerns about a public health and safety threat,” said the Congressman, who has made previous calls for a flight ban and visa suspensions.   

Representing Indiana’s 4th District, he has signed on to be a leading co-sponsor of the Stop Ebola Act, a legislative solution to the Administration’s slow response from House members Sam Johnson and Kenny Marchant of Texas, where two nurses contracted the disease, after President Obama said it was unlikely to reach the U.S. 

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention admitted it failed to send expert teams with necessary equipment to Dallas when the country learned of a dying patient from Africa there. “This President is downplaying our legitimate concerns about Ebola due largely to his miscommunication,” said Rokita. “He’s simply not giving this dangerous situation the seriousness it deserves.”

More recently, federal authorities failed to prevent a foreign aid worker returning from West Africa with Ebola from entering New York City. After the President accused governors of New York and New Jersey of over-reacting, they relaxed their mandatory quarantines for returning doctors and nurses.

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