Trump to seek more than $1.4 billion in Ebola funding from Congress

WASHINGTON — The White House is preparing to request more than $1.4 billion in new funding from the U.S. Congress to respond to the expanding Ebola outbreak, according to a Trump administration official. The request could be submitted as early as Wednesday and would be included in a broader supplemental funding package.

The proposal includes about $800 million for humanitarian response efforts. This would support the establishment of a quarantine center in Kenya for Americans exposed to the virus, as well as medical supplies, treatment capacity, contact tracing operations, a regional logistics network, and strengthened infection control measures.

Another $500 million is earmarked for global health security programs aimed at preventing the spread of the virus into the United States. According to the official, the funds would be used to enhance disease surveillance systems, expand laboratory capacity, improve cross-border coordination, and support potential partnerships with multilateral organizations and private sector groups.

An additional $90 million would go toward diplomatic and consular operations, including evacuation efforts and the transport of U.S. citizens infected with Ebola to treatment facilities, the official said. The funding request has not been previously reported.

The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1,000 people have been infected and 267 have died. The agency also said this is the highest number of confirmed cases recorded within the first month of an outbreak.

The funding request comes after a medical worker who recently returned to France from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo tested positive for Ebola, marking France’s first confirmed case connected to the current outbreak.

U.S. officials have reportedly urged European governments to strengthen travel restrictions and increase financial contributions to the Ebola response, according to the official. Some U.S. officials have also expressed frustration over what they view as limited action from European counterparts in recent days.

At the same time, Washington has faced criticism over earlier reductions in funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and African public health initiatives prior to the outbreak.

The United States has already committed hundreds of millions of dollars to the Ebola response and is currently constructing a controversial quarantine facility in Kenya for American citizens, saying the priority is to prevent the virus from reaching U.S. territory.

In May, the U.S. government also imposed restrictions barring non-citizens who had recently traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan from entering the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) later extended the restrictions to include green card holders who had been in those countries within the previous 21 days. -Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama/Reuters