The hearing is just under three hours. Committee on health, education, labor and pensions, and the appropriations subcommittee on labor, health, human services, appropriations will come to order. In march of this year, Public Health officials reported an outbreak of ebola virus in guinea. Unlike past Ebola Outbreaks that it have been efficiently and effect if there stopped, this outbreak has spread in ways that are potentially catastrophic for the world. Due to the gravity of the situation, the danger poses not only to the affected region but also to our country, i have taken the unusual step of calling together this joint hearing of both the authorizing committee i chair and the appropriations subcommittee which funds it, which i also chair. We have come togetherred to to learn what can so we can Work Together over the coming weeks to stop this daysly plague. The extent of this epidemic is tragic and grows more serious with each passing day. The death toll is already far greater than
A negative ebola test result means a patient doesnt have ebola but just this week a physician died after being flown to nebraska for emergency treatment after initial tests showed a negative test. His colleagues are in quarantine causing greater anxiety in a medical profession lost more than 500 to ebola. Hospitals and Healthcare Workers were to have proper guidance on personal protective kwichlt. Cdc guideline do not require a threeweek selfisolation period for healthcare officials. They can return to work immediately. But the hospitals i talked to did not agree. I asked an er doctor from my district about whether any of his colleagues volunteering in west africa could come back to work immediately. He had a simple response. I quote him. He said, they should stay away. The administration continues to pose travel restrictions and quarantines yet respected institutions have policies to ensure Public Health is protected. Its impossible for the American People to understand why the govern
Be. Lauren . Besides starving the im going to try to be better about giving affiliations. Go ahead. Republicans have made clear they plan to load up appropriations building with riders targeting many of these things. They and industry folks indicate they think they could see wins there with deadlines or what have you and also maybe not necessarily climaterelated but ozone or clean water act. Are you prepared to negotiate with republicans on these issue snz s . Do you think you and the president will stand your ground and not give . Do you see room for compromise . You know, i feel very confident that the president has the best interests of epa in mind. He has made very clear what his priorities are. So i feel like were on very solid ground in recognizing that there may be challenges ahead but that the president will do the right thing. And he has made those, i think, interests clear. So you know, the other point id just like to make on top of that while theres a lot of discussion and t
Three quarters of the cdc component is to strengthen the Warning Systems detection, Laboratory Networks and others. There are funds to respond r57dly and prevent where possible. Covering the u. S. , we have made progress. We are doing it through a series of levels. Each requires significant investments. Stopping it at the source. Screening travellers when they leave africa, when they arrive to the u. S. Tracing each traveller for 21 days in all of the 50 states. The states are doing an excellent job. With excellent participation from custom and Border Protection which has electronically collected data in hours. We are seeing most states reaching 100 of travellers regularly according to the information they are reporting to us. This is a relatively new program. Its going smoothly. It is working on borrowed dollarsmedollar s. We need funding to support this and key measures of prevention, ke text and response in the u. S. , Public Health systems, hospitals, Laboratory Networks, active mo
So heres the private sector given the money after arduous work to create a contemporary matter. That was one. The very day before sequestered they announced they had lowered cancer rates in this country 12 . Instead of pinning medals on people we were getting ready to hand out pink slips. I dont think thats the right way to govern. Thank you, senator mikulski. Senator isakson. Thank you mr. Chairman. This is my first time publicly to be able to acknowledge the great contribution of senator mikulski to Public Health in america enter service. I just want to publicly thank her for all shes done. Its a pleasure to serve with you on this committee. [inaudible] dr. Hamburg, i dont want to be putting on but senator burr is right on target. This is a long lead up to the question and i apologize for that but its a very important question that needs to be answered. You made a reference in your statement that some blame the lack of investment in biotechnology on the fda and you refuted that. But