Posted on 10/15/2014 10:26:38 AM PDT by jazusamo
Three House Democrats are calling on President Obama to allow U.S. troops in West Africa to provide direct care to Ebola patients.
The Obama administration has already committed around 4,000 U.S. troops to help fight Ebola in the affected West African countries, but they are performing tasks such as building treatment centers and training local providers, not directly providing care.
Reps. Keith Ellison (Minn.), Karen Bass (Calif.), and Barbara Lee (Calif.) want to change that.
"We write to urge you to consider building on the current response to the Ebola epidemic by allowing military medical and technical personnel to provide direct care to and to come into contact with patients in West Africa," the representatives wrote in a letter to Obama. "We further urge that Americans assisting in the effort be provided with the best protective equipment, training, and processes in the world at their disposal to ensure their safety."
The call comes as the World Health Organization says that there could be as many as 10,000 new Ebola cases every week within two months.
The lawmakers raised concerns that there would not be enough trained staff to care for Ebola patients if the U.S. did not directly step in.
"The commitment of 4,000 military personnel, to assist with standing up Ebola Treatment Units (ETU) and logistical response are essential contributions," they wrote. "However, we have heard from those working in West Africa that there is uncertainty about who will staff the ETUs, who will manage them, and whether their level of experience under these conditions is commensurate with the task."
President Obama canceled campaign trips to New Jersey and Connecticut on Wednesday to meet with cabinet agencies involved in the Ebola response. The step comes as the second healthcare worker in the United States was announced to have Ebola on Wednesday.
Many Republican lawmakers have called for a ban on travel to the U.S. from the affected countries, but the Democrats rejected that option in the letter.
"If the U.S. enacts policies like travel bans, which are not effective and discourage volunteer participation, we increase the chance of worsening the epidemic and the chance that new cases arrive in the U.S," they wrote. "Instead, we should be offering incentives for volunteers and assurances that they will have access to everything they need to be as safe as possible at all times."
and those three plan to visit the troops in the field obala wards- - right?
Madness.
Army needs to say “hell no, we won’t go!”
uh, no. But Obama can send over all Congressional Democrats instead.
Morons want to wipe out our military.
what a brilliant idea. I’m sure they’ll be signing up THEIR kids for this duty ASAP
They are trying to provide some cover for the Obama Administration. We spread the stupidity and the diseases around in America, it’s how liberals roll. It’s how conservatives let pass.
Keith Ellison and Barbara Lee can hop an flights from Dulles to Brussels and from Brussels to Monrovia. When they get there they can provide direct aid to Ebola patients.
I have a better idea. Crate up House dems and send them to Liberia to provide direct ebola care.
I heard combat troop level is down to 490,000? and Obozo wants to bring it down to 440,000?
What better way to decimate (many times over) the troops than have them directly treat Ebola patients...
I bet he can get it down to half that!
Reps. Keith Ellison (Minn.), Karen Bass (Calif.), and Barbara Lee (Calif.) — Three brain dead RATS.
Very very stupid. Soldiers are not trained to do this. They will obey orders and get infected. Which is this dem’s original intent.
These people are insane........................
“I bet he can get it down to half that!”
When they start getting sick, give them all medical discharges and condemn them to the VA and their families to Obamacare.
Once again the U. S. does the heavy lifting, while other nations trash it, the Democrats and Obama try to destroy it.
All three are radical left democrats and black.
Well, if your view of the military is that it’s good for things like holding umbrellas and serving drinks at White House social functions, then I suppose this might seem like a good idea. I have a better idea for these House Dems: you first.
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