{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://roby.house.gov/column/preparing-and-preventing-spread-ebola-home", "Preparing for and Preventing the Spread of Ebola at Home", "2014-10-24", "2014", "2014-10", "Republican", "House", "AL", "Martha Roby", "R000591", "roby.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Like many Americans,\u00a0I am seriously concerned about the effectiveness of our country\u2019s\u00a0response to the Ebola outbreak and how it will affect our ability to protect Americans from this threat.\u00a0I recently wrote President Obama a\u00a0letter calling on him to take more decisive action\u00a0to prevent American citizens from further exposure.\u00a0Specifically,\u00a0I am calling for the United States to:\n institute a temporary travel ban by immediately restricting travel visas for individuals from the West African counties hardest hit by Ebola;\n\tenhance airport screening for all U.S. airports; and\n\tinstitute a mandatory quarantine of individuals who have been in direct contact with the Ebola virus.\n We need to approach the Ebola outbreak like a mission and fight it aggressively. Several experimental drugs exist to combat symptoms and treat the infected. Health officials are making concerted efforts to expedite further production and to send available vaccines to the affected areas. The Department of Defense has deployed military advisors to Western Africa to oversee medical facility construction and provide medical expertise. Additionally, the CDC is working in conjunction with many other federal agencies to train officials to identify and prevent sick passengers from traveling internationally. These efforts include coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and the Department of State.\nOur nation's actions to contain this disease and prevent it from spreading further should ensure the safety of all involved, including the members of the military. The Pentagon has ensured that Department of Defense\u00a0personnel are outfitted with the proper equipment while working to prevent sick passengers from boarding planes and ships.\nOur state officials and hospital network are proactively preparing to handle cases, should they occur. I appreciate the leadership of the Dr. Don Williamson and his team at the Alabama Department of Public Health in keeping the public aware of the latest information.\nMy office remains in close contact with the agencies involved in combating this threat.\u00a0Federal agencies have a critical job to do in such times of crisis, and it is\u00a0important that they get it right. \u00a0As a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, and the Subcommittee overseeing the budget for the CDC and the National Institutes of Health, I am closely monitoring this situation as Congress considers agency funding bills for Fiscal Year 2015.", 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://roby.house.gov/column/preparing-and-preventing-spread-ebola-home"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.83458999870345, "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"}