Rep. John Mica Statement at Oversight Hearing, The Ebola Crisis: Coordination of a Multi-Agency Response

Statement

Congressman John Mica (FL07)released the following statement regarding the House Oversight and Government Reform hearing, The Ebola Crisis: Coordination of a Multi-Agency Response.

"Ebola is not going away any time soon, and we must redouble our efforts to be prepared for and to eliminate this virus. Experts warn that new infections could reach 10,000 per week by the first week of December and hundreds of healthcare workers have died from this disease in West Africa.

"Americans want to know what their government is doing. In the latest case of the infected New York doctor, airport screening did not work. Fortunately, the doctor self-reported, but before doing so, may have exposed others to the virus.

"The DHS Inspector General (IG) testified citing a scathing report he issued that detailed that the federal government was unprepared. After spending millions of dollars on pandemic preparedness, the IG confirmed that protective equipment was outdated, purchased without a coordinated acquisition policy and inventories could not be produced. In fact, the report found that even 84% of the hand sanitizer that was tested had expired.

"With the New York City case, we have further evidence that travelers entering the U.S. from the affected West African nations should be subject to quarantine. I believe we must target those who pose a risk, and this is a prudent step to protect Americans against this horrible virus.

"We do not need to panic. We just need to be prepared."

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