{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://jeffduncan.house.gov/press-release/duncan-urges-suspension-visas-ebola-countries-0", "Duncan Urges Suspension of Visas from Ebola Countries", "2014-10-17", "2014", "2014-10", "Republican", "House", "SC", "Jeffrey Duncan", "D000615", "jeffduncan.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Laurens, SC \u2013 Today, South Carolina Congressman Jeff Duncan, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency within the House Committee on Homeland Security, joined the Chairman of the full Committee on Homeland Security, Rep. Michael McCaul, and other Committee members calling on U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and U.S. Department of State Secretary John Kerry to temporarily suspend travel visas for individuals traveling from areas of West Africa impacted by the Ebola virus until the outbreak is under control.\nCongressman Duncan has also previously advocated for adopting quarantine protocols for any persons traveling into the United States from West Africa.\nBelow is the text of the letter sent to Secretaries Johnson and Kerry outlining the request.\u00a0\nOctober 15, 2014\nThe Honorable Jeh Johnson  \n\tSecretary  \n\tU.S. Department of Homeland Security  \n\tNebraska Avenue Center  \n\tWashington, DC 20528\nThe Honorable John Kerry  \n\tSecretary  \n\tU.S. Department of State  \n\t2201 C Street NW  \n\tWashington, DC 20520\nDear Secretaries Johnson and Kerry,\nWe write today concerning the urgent need to contain the Ebola Virus.\u00a0While we understand significant efforts are underway to screen travelers at the point of exit leaving West Africa, as well as recently established procedures established at five ports of entry in the United States, we believe additional steps should be considered to curtail the potential spread of Ebola to the United States.\nLast week, the Committee on Homeland Security held a field hearing in Dallas, Texas, where we received testimony from Federal, State and local officials on the government\u2019s current response to the recent Ebola cases in Texas.\u00a0While we remain confident in CBP\u2019s ability to adequately screen individuals with overt signs of disease, given the virus\u2019s long incubation period of up to 21 days, individuals carrying the virus may not show symptoms when they leave West Africa or upon entry in the United States.\u00a0 As was the case with Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola case in Dallas, symptoms manifested days after he arrived.\nDespite the strong public health system in the United States to combat a spread of Ebola, the most recent cases involving the two Dallas health care workers demonstrates the vulnerabilities of our system and steep learning curve public health officials are facing.\u00a0 In light of these current vulnerabilities, we urge you to consider temporarily suspending visas of individuals from Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone until the outbreak is under control.\u00a0 Such a measure would ensure healthcare workers and supplies are able to be transported to impacted areas of West Africa, while also ensuring the public health and safety of the American public.\nTaking such action to temporarily suspend some of the 13,500 visas would improve the American public\u2019s confidence of public health officials to limit the spread of Ebola to the United States, while simultaneously permitting a robust effort by the U.S. Government and global health agencies to combat this vicious disease in West Africa. Moreover, we believe that any individuals that are diagnosed with Ebola should go to one of the four hospitals (Emory University Hospital, National Institutes of Health, Nebraska Medical Center, St. Patrick Hospital in Montana) that specialize in the treatment of this disease.\nI urge your consideration of these necessary steps to prohibit the spread of this deadly virus.\u00a0 I thank you for your attention to this grave matter and wish you the best of luck as our nation faces this public health crisis.\nSincerely,\nRepresentative Michael McCaul  \n\tChairman, Committee on Homeland Security\nRepresentative Candice Miller  \n\tChairman, Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security\nRepresentative Peter King  \n\tChairman, Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence\nRepresentative Jeff Duncan  \n\tChairman, Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency\nRepresentative Richard Hudson  \n\tChairman, Subcommittee on Transportation and Security\nRepresentative Susan Brooks  \n\tChairman, Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://jeffduncan.house.gov/press-release/duncan-urges-suspension-visas-ebola-countries-0"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7394631393253803, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}