Reminder from 2 Months Ago - "House GOP cuts funding request to fight Ebola"

[TomCADem]

This is a reminder that before President Obama announced the expansion of U.S, efforts to combat Ebola in a speech to the U.N. back in September (before any U.S. cases of Ebola were reported), House Republicans were busy stonewalling on much needed funding. Only after Duncan was diagnosed with Ebola did House Republicans ultimately agree to the President's request at which time they accused the President of not doing enough. Does the media note this discrepancy? No.

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/217115-gop-cuts-obamas-ebola-funding-request

House Republicans indicated Tuesday that they will provide less than half of the White House's funding request to fight Ebola in the next government spending bill.

According to a source familiar with the negotiations, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) agreed as of Tuesday morning to spend a total of $40 million to fight the epidemic in the 2015 spending bill.

his would include $25 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and $15 million for the Biological Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to ramp up production of an experimental anti-Ebola drug, the source said.

The White House had asked for $88 million for Ebola in total, including $58 million for BARDA, which is involved in coordinating experimental treatments during public health emergencies.

[TomCADem]

1. Mother Jones (Early Oct) - "Sen. Inhofe (R) Blocks Funds for Ebola Intervention"

Even after the House dropped its early opposition in September to the White House's funding request for Ebola, you still had GOP Senators like Inhofe tying up efforts to respond to the Ebola crisis as late as earlier this month, Yet, the cable news continues to let Republicans spout off about how the President has not done enough to combat Ebola.

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2014/10/republican-senator-inhofe-blocks-vital-funding-needed-to-stop-ebola

House legislators have approved the transfer of $750 million toward the fight to contain Ebola, which continues to rapidly spread across West Africa. The figure is still below the $1 billion request from the Department of Defense—and the budget battle is not over. It is currently holed up in the Senate dependent on Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), a ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, to give his approval.

After Sen. Inhofe and Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee initially raised concerns, a limit of $50 million was put on the transfer until the DoD provided details on how the money would be spent to address the crisis. Now, with plans to deploy 4,000 troops to the region, $750 million to fund a six-month mission has been approved by both the House Armed Services Committee and the Appropriations subcommittee. According to The Hill, however, a spokesperson from Inhofe's office confirmed the Senator would not change his mind even in light of approval from other committees because the expense "would add demands on a defense budget already stretched thin." The money would come from an account currently funding the war in Afghanistan.

There has already been one fatality from the virus in the US, heightening concerns that more could follow, and health officials are saying the epidemic in Africa is spiraling out of control. Last week a top US health official said the Ebola epidemic could have been contained and suggested sequester budget cuts disabled early response efforts. This week ranking members of the Congressional Subcommittee that oversees the budgets for the National Institutes of Health and The Centers for Control Disease and Prevention called for a hearing into the matter.

[malaise]

9. So where are the ads? n/t

[valerief]

14. +1

[MADem]

29. +1,000 !!!! nt

[Mister Nightowl]

2. K&R

[FarPoint]

3. This is the factual news!

This message never gets traction. Democrats need this to be there political ad campaign.

[ffr]

4. Reason # 7,387,028,572,389,075,823,705,839,275 for GOTV in 2014

No
More
Fucking Republis!

Put an end to it now. Your vote has 7 times the weight in mid-term elections as in a presidential election. THAT'S INFLUENCE.

[arthritisR_US]

5. He asked for 88 million they gave him almost

half that amount.

[jberryhill]

8. "UPDATE: The continuing resolution released Tuesday night ultimately included the full $88 million"

...noted at the bottom of the article.

[TomCADem]

10. Yes, it is nice that Republicans Eventually Get A Clue...

...after perhaps extracting a few concessions along the way. Of course, a month later, you have Senator Inhofe putting a hold on such funding. Is it a coincidence that Republicans were the ones tying things up before the first Ebola cases in the U.S. took place?

[thesquanderer]

20. Also, whether the basic facts are right are in dispute

The bottom of the article also says:

"A spokeswoman for the Appropriations Committee said Thursday that reports Rogers had initially limited the funding were inaccurate."

The original report that full funding was being denied came from "a source familiar with the negotiations" - i.e. an unnamed source.

so really, there's nothing sufficiently credible here to make an issue of.

[kelliekat44]

6. So where are the Dem ads running in every state????? They would be cheap too. Just report

the committee votes.

[ReRe]

7. K&R

And I remember it the day Rogers did it.

[TomCADem]

11. Plus, Republicans Have A Hold On The Surgeon General Nominee...

....thanks to the NRA.

[ReRe]

12. There's something so rotten in this country...

... and it's making us ALL sick. It's called the Republican Party.

[valerief]

15. And the PTB who own them.

[ReRe]

23. Well, of course!

[sammy750]

13. Reminder to voters

Vote smart as the Republicans will continue to block any monies to help the health of the people. Republicans are not interested in how healthy you are, but getting your votes. If they really cared, they would be in session right now and not on a 54 day vacation.

[grahamhgreen]

16. Kick

[Botany]

17. President Obama's has been working on Ebola for months

WASHINGTON (CBSDC/AP) — President Barack Obama warns the Ebola virus could mutate if it is not controlled.
Speaking to NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Obama said that the Ebola outbreak that has killed more than 1,500 people in West Africa is a national security policy and that the United States has a responsibility to help contain it.

snip

“If we don’t make that effort now, and this spreads not just through Africa but other parts of the world, there’s the prospect then that the virus mutates,” Obama told NBC News. “It becomes more easily transmittable. And then it could be a serious danger to the United States.”

snip

An earlier $58 million request for the Centers for Disease Control would help the agency ramp up production and testing of the experimental drug ZMapp, which has shown promise in fighting the Ebola epidemic in western Africa. It would also help keep the development and manufacturing of two Ebola vaccines on track. The White House request seeks to use $10 million in unused balances at the Department of Health and Human Services to help with the Ebola outbreak in Africa.


http://washington.cbslocal.com/2014/09/07/obama-warns-ebola-virus-could-mutate-if-outbreak-is-not-controlled/

[Diclotican]

18. TomCADem

TomCADem

Before George Walker Bush jr - no one believed US to be attacked The Twin Towers destroyed and most of US got a collective mental breakdown either... And you are all free to use it against this staffer if some of you are on tweet - I'm not

Diclotican

[Cha]

19. Thank you, Tom! Thanks Obama!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

21. kick, rec, shared.

Wish I could slap some faces with it!

[blkmusclmachine]

22. House GOP cuts funding request to fight Ebola

GOP Convention (2012): "Let 'em die! Let 'em die! Let 'em die!"

[Chemisse]

24. What I REALLY don't understand is why this is not part of anybody's campaign.

Along with plummeting gas prices, lowering medical costs, and increased use of alternative energy.

Obama is very very bad at self-promotion. Even so, the entire Dem party should be out there talking about all the successes.

[tjwash]

25. Didn't they also block the nomination of a Surgeon General as well?

And there is not an S.G. currently because of that?

[geretogo]

26. The GOP is this countries' only death panel .

[spanone]

27. it' sad that our media doesn't have a memory that long...2 month is a long time, ya know

they would be crucifying democrats if they had blocked the same legislation

[kairos12]

28. I am sure any hearing on this act of Congressional incompetency will supersede the Benghazi

hearing. crickets--crickets