releases: http://upton.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398157
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| http://upton.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398157 | Upton holds hearing on U.S. response to Ebola outbreak | 2014-10-16 | 2014 | 2014-10 | Republican | House | MI | Fred Upton | U000031 | upton.house.gov | legacy | House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, held a hearing today with some of the nation’s top public health officials to examine the U.S public health response to the Ebola outbreak. Held by the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, the bipartisan hearing focused on the role of U.S. public health agencies and their efforts to prevent the spread of Ebola within the United States. “We need all hands on deck. We need a strategy. And we need to protect the American people, first and foremost,” said Upton in his opening remarks. “It’s not a drill – people’s lives are at stake, and the response so far has been unacceptable.” The preparedness of U.S. ports, points of entry, health care facilities, and other institutions to identify, diagnose, isolate, and treat Ebola patients in a safe and appropriate manner were also evaluated. “We need a plan to treat those who are sick, to train healthcare workers to safely provide care, and to stop the spread of this disease here at home and at its source in Africa. This includes travel restrictions or bans from that region beginning today,” continued Upton. “Surely we can find other ways to get the aid workers and supplies in to these countries. From terrorist watch lists to quarantines, there are tools used to manage air travel to assure public safety. Why not here? We can no longer be reacting to each day’s crisis. We need to be aggressive and finally get ahead of this outbreak.” Upton directly questioned Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on the use of travel restrictions from regions of Africa impacted by the fatal disease. In addition to CDC Director Frieden, Upton and fellow committee members heard from officials from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Texas Health Resources. Watch Upton’s opening remarks here Watch Upton’s Q&A with CDC Director Frieden here The full-text of Upton’s opening remarks follow: Let me first begin by thanking our witnesses and all of the Members, Republicans and Democrats, for being here today. You know, it’s unusual to convene a hearing in DC during a district work period, but on this issue, there’s no time to wait. I was likewise glad to see the President get off the campaign trail yesterday to finally focus on the crisis. People are scared. We need all hands on deck. We need a strategy. And we need to protect the American people, first and foremost. It’s not a drill – people’s lives are at stake, and the response so far has been unacceptable. As Chairman of this committee, I want to assure the witnesses that we stand ready to support you in any way to keep Americans safe, but we’re going to hold your feet to the fire on getting the job done, and getting it done right. Both the US and the global health community have so far failed to put in place an effective strategy fast enough to combat the current outbreak. The CDC admitted more could have been done in Texas. Two health care workers have become infected with Ebola even as nurses and other medical personnel suggest that protocols are being “developed on the fly.” And none of us can understand how a nurse who treated an Ebola-infected patient, and who herself had developed a fever, was permitted to board a commercial airline and fly across the country. It’s no wonder the public’s confidence is shaken. Over a month ago, before Ebola reached our shores, we wrote HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell seeking details for the preparedness and response plan here at home and abroad. And it’s clear whatever plan was in place was insufficient, but I believe that we can and must do better now. We need a plan to treat those who are sick, to train healthcare workers to safely provide care, and to stop the spread of this disease here at home and at its source in Africa. This includes travel restrictions or bans from that region beginning today. Surely we can find other ways to get the aid workers and supplies in to these countries. From terrorist watch lists to quarantines, there are tools used to manage air travel to assure public safety. Why not here? We can no longer be reacting to each day’s crisis. We need to be aggressive and finally get ahead of this outbreak. The American people also want to know about our troops and medical personnel who are courageously headed to Africa to treat the sick. How are they going to be protected? We want to know that health care workers here in America have the training and resources necessary to safely combat that threat as well. So it’s not just the responsibility of the US. The global health community bears the charge to finally get ahead of the threat, develop a clear strategy, train all of those involved in combating this disease, and eradicate the threat. We have all heard the grave warnings that this is going to get worse before it gets better – people are scared. It is our responsibility to ensure that the government is doing whatever it can to keep the public safe. Diana DeGette and I have partnered together on the 21st Century Cures initiative to help improve the research and speed the approval of life-saving medicines and treatments, and while much attention has been paid to how this effort can help with diseases like cancer and diabetes, these same reforms have to help us in the development of treatments for deadly infections like Ebola. We are partners in this effort to save lives. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |