Brownley, Amo, Jackson, Kelly Lead 73 Colleagues Demanding Answers on Ebola Outbreak and Trump’s Global Health Failures

Washington, DC - Today, Representatives Julia Brownley (D-CA-26), Gabe Amo (D-RI-01), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL-01), and Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) led 73 colleagues demanding answers from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya about the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, warning that weakened U.S. global health capacity may have contributed to delays in detecting and responding to the current outbreak.

With more than 500 infected, over 90 deaths reported, and more than 1,000 suspected cases being investigated, the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda exposes dangerous gaps in U.S. leadership on global disease surveillance and response.

Since taking office for the second time, Trump has gutted United States Agency for International Development (USAID) programs, pushed changes at the CDC, and undermined the World Health Organization.

While Secretary Rubio claimed during last week's House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing that the severity of the outbreak was due to the rural and unstable nature of the region in which it has occurred, the Trump Administration's reduction of global health funding, staffing, and international coordination has likely weakened outbreak detection and response efforts.

The Members write:

"Infectious diseases do not stop at borders. This Ebola outbreak has already infected one American doctor and risks bringing this deadly disease to our nation if not properly contained and controlled."

"We write to express our dismay about the failure to detect and contain the deadly outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. This outbreak was allowed to spread undetected, untreated, and unprevented in part because this Administration, under your leadership, slashed funding for global health programs, gutted public health officials and senior staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and withdrew the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO)."

"We urge you to reverse the cuts to our global health programs, rejoin the WHO, and ensure that we have the expert staff at the CDC and the State Department needed to prevent and manage any future outbreaks of deadly diseases before they endanger Americans."

The letter was signed by Representatives Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Becca Balint (VT-AL), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Wesley Bell (MO-01), Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), André Carson (IN-07), Sean Casten (IL-06), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Gilbert Cisneros (CA-31), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Angie Craig (MN-02), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Danny Davis (IL-07), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Shomari Figures (AL-02), Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), John Garamendi (CA-08), Jesús García (IL-04), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Henry Johnson (GA-04), Julie Johnson (TX-32), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Timothy Kennedy (NY-26), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), John Larson (CT-01), George Latimer (NY-16), Summer Lee (PA-12), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Sarah McBride (DE-AL), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Eleanor Norton (DC-AL), Johnny Olszewski (MD-02), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Janice Schakowsky (IL-09), Bradley Schneider (IL-10), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Eric Sorensen (IL-17), Darren Soto (FL-09), Greg Stanton (AZ-04), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Dina Titus (NV-01), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), James Walkinshaw (VA-11), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), and George Whitesides (CA-27).

A full copy of the letter can be found here.

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Issues: 119th Congress