On Wednesday, President Barack Obama asked the US Congress to approve $6.2 billion in new funds this fiscal year to fight Ebola in West Africa and in the United States. The money is labeled as "emergency" funds and thus technically not subject to an equal amount of savings from other programs.
If Obama's $6.2 billion Ebola funding is approved, $2 billion would be allocated to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and $2.4 billion would be set aside for the Department of Health and Human Services. Based on the report by Time, another $1.5 billion would go to a contingency fund to deal with any unforeseen developments like an upsurge in West Africa or a need to vaccinate US healthcare personnel.
With the new funding, the United States would create dozens more treatment centers and secure additional safety units. The $6.2 billion Ebola money is the first request from President Obama in the outcome of an election that led a Republican-governed Congress, which appeared to be a repudiation of the president.
The Ebola crisis has earned bipartite interests amid concerns over the potential of the disease to spread into the US soil. According to ABC News, the White House is asking for immediate action, which means it wanted approval during the current lame duck session, whereas the Democrats are still in control of the Senate.
The $6.2 billion funding request is "to ensure that our doctors, scientists and troops have the resources that they need to combat the spread of Ebola in Africa and to increase our preparedness for any future cases here at home," Obama said during a news conference at the White House today.
Health officials have long warned that America is not safe from Ebola until the outbreak is stopped at the source in West Africa. The World Health Organization released new figures on Wednesday with the latest details the virus' rage in the region. As of Nov. 2, there are over 13,000 reported cases and some 4,800 deaths.
According to the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the US has obligated more than $400 million to combat Ebola, as of Oct. 24. As reported by Bloomberg, Obama's $6.2 billion Ebola request would be folded into a budget bill and is expected to be debated by Congress on Dec. 11, when existing government funds run out.
OMB said the $6.2 billion Ebola funds would enhance the comprehensive efforts to address the urgent situation at its source and to further ensure that Americans are protected in the US. The Obama request is expected to be submitted to congressional appropriations committees on Nov. 5.
The panels are now putting together a massive, $1 trillion spending package for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30 and would fund a wide range of federal programs.
In comparison to the $6.2 billion Ebola funds, Obama requested $30.4 billion to fight HIV/AIDS in his fiscal 2015 budget, as said by the Kaiser Family Foundation. WHO reported there are 35 million people infected with HIV globally.
The international community has been criticized by medical support organizations for the late response to the outbreak, and Obama faces a difficulty of reassuring the public that Ebola is a tough disease to contract in the US while at the same time emphasizing that stopping the virus at its source in West Africa remains an urgent priority in making its case for the $6.2 billion Ebola funding request.
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