Rubio spars with Democrats over Ebola outbreak, global health cuts |
Rubio spars with Democrats over Ebola outbreak, global health cuts
Secretary of State Marco Rubio fielded criticism from Democrats on Capitol Hill on Tuesday about the impact of the Trump administration’s cuts to global health programs on the response to an Ebola outbreak in several African nations.
The Trump administration official faced questions from lawmakers on a range of issues during budget hearings with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.
“Ebola does not wait for bureaucratic reorganizations,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) said during the House hearing.
“It spreads when surveillance systems are weakened, health workers are laid off, clinics lack protective equipment and communities lose the trusted partners who help detect and contain outbreaks before they become public health emergencies,” she continued.
The Trump administration closed down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) last year and withdrew from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO, which has led a global response to this outbreak, declared the situation a global public health emergency in May. Over 500 suspected cases of the Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease have been reported in the Congo.
Rubio told the lawmakers during his opening statement to the House committee on Tuesday that the State Department has........