Ranking Member Shaheen, Colleagues Introduce EBOLA Act and Urge Secretary Rubio to Work with WHO to Stem Outbreak

WASHINGTON - Yesterday, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tim Kaine (D-VA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Chris Coons (D-DE), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Epidemic Barrier and Outbreak Leadership Act, or the EBOLA Act, which requires President Trump to rejoin and immediately collaborate with the World Health Organization (WHO) to respond to the Ebola outbreak.

The EBOLA Act comes as an Ebola outbreak in Central and Eastern Africa surpasses 1,000 confirmed cases just over two months after it was detected-making it the worst Ebola outbreak in history. Compounding the devastating effects of the deadly disease is an active conflict between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Rwanda-backed M23 that is hindering humanitarian access to areas where Ebola is spreading. President Trump's withdrawal from the WHO, in addition to gutting U.S. foreign assistance, has significantly impeded America's ability to coordinate with international partners to respond to the outbreak. The WHO and the African Centers for Diseases Control are coordinating the global response to the outbreak. At the same time, the Trump Administration waste of taxpayer funds continues-by its own count, the bill to "close out" USAID foreign assistance awards is rising to an estimated $19 billion.

Full text of the bill can be found here.

"As the world is facing the worst Ebola outbreak in history, the Trump Administration still refuses to partner with the WHO, which is leading the global response," said Ranking Member Shaheen. "The Trump Administration's withdrawal from the WHO last year, cuts to foreign assistance programming and the stalling of funds to critical vaccine organizations like Gavi have exacerbated the crisis and left Americans more vulnerable. I urge the Senate to swiftly adopt this legislation and ensure the United States government is fully cooperating with the WHO to reduce transmission and prevent Ebola from again reaching America's shores."

Specifically, this legislation would:

• Require the President to rejoin the WHO no later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of the bill. It also requires the United States to immediately collaborate with the WHO to respond to the Ebola Disease outbreak in Central and Eastern Africa.
  
  
• Authorize appropriations necessary to carry out the Act, including membership contributions to the WHO as well as voluntary contributions or programmatic support to prevent the global spread of Ebola transmission.

Ranking Member Shaheen, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Coons (D-DE), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) also sent a letter today urging Secretary of State Rubio to allow the State Department, Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other relevant agencies to work with the WHO to immediately respond to the Ebola outbreak.

"We write with alarm at the uncontrolled Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda," wrote the Senators. "Just a month after Africa Centers for Disease Control declared an Ebola outbreak, there are already more than 1,000 suspected and confirmed cases of the virus and hundreds of suspected deaths. In contrast, during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, there were just 40 suspected cases when the worldwide response began."

"The World Health Organization (WHO) remains the body best positioned to surveil the outbreak and stand up an effective international response," continued the Senators. "We urge you to support a blanket waiver that would enable the State Department, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other relevant agencies to work with the WHO for the purposes of responding to the Ebola outbreak."

"An outbreak of this nature requires constant and predictable coordination with all agencies involved in the global response," concluded the Senators. "A waiver would allow all relevant departments to immediately begin providing resources to and working with the WHO to coordinate our response and share all the relevant Ebola-related resources and information."

Full text of the letter is available HERE and provided below.

Dear Secretary Rubio,

We write with alarm at the uncontrolled Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. Just a month after the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared an Ebola outbreak, there are already more than 1,000 suspected and confirmed cases of the virus and hundreds of suspected deaths. In contrast, during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, there were just 40 suspected cases when the worldwide response began. The World Health Organization (WHO) remains the body best positioned to surveil the outbreak and stand up an effective international response. We urge you to support a blanket waiver that would enable the State Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other relevant agencies to work with the WHO for the purposes of responding to the Ebola outbreak.

A fast and effective response is especially critical because the epicenter of the outbreak is in a highly volatile region where humanitarian operations and access to essential services have long been constrained by conflicts involving multiple armed groups. If the outbreak spreads to further regions of turmoil, the consequences could be disastrous. Any humanitarian operation in this unstable context requires intense interagency and intergovernmental coordination. International cooperation is mission critical for an outbreak of this severity.

In January 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14155 initiating the withdrawal of the U.S. from the WHO. This Executive Order, which was finalized in January 2026, ended virtually all American support for the WHO and recalled all U.S. personnel and contracts working for the organization. Without WHO coordination, the U.S. lacks key tools needed to help keep Americans safe from the outbreak. For example, the State Department and CDC are unable to access U.S.-funded personal protective equipment stored in WHO facilities that could have already been deployed to the affected areas. Additionally, U.S. agencies are not privy to critical information on the same timeline as WHO member countries, which was demonstrated by the U.S. not learning of this outbreak until nine days after the WHO.

An outbreak of this nature requires constant and predictable coordination with all agencies involved in the global response. A waiver would allow all relevant departments to immediately begin providing resources to and working with the WHO to coordinate our response and share all the relevant Ebola-related resources and information.

We appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to an expedited response.

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