Ebola funding won't get a hearing from House Republicans, but Ebola panic will

[babylonsister]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/16/1337019/-Ebola-funding-won-t-get-a-hearing-from-House-Republicans-but-Ebola-panic-nbsp-will?detail=facebook


Thu Oct 16, 2014 at 08:49 AM PDT
Ebola funding won't get a hearing from House Republicans, but Ebola panic will

by Joan McCarter

Testimony from public health officials in the Senate a few weeks ago and subsequent media follow up has pointed out a serious deficit for public health funding. In fact, NIH Director Francis Collins said, point blank "if we had not gone through our 10-year slide in research support, we probably would have had a vaccine in time for this that would've gone through clinical trials and would have been ready." These reports led House Democrats to call for a hearing on the lack of funding for the Ebola crisis.

"As we mourn the death of Thomas Eric Duncan and pray for the two health care workers infected in Dallas, we reiterate our call for Chairman {Jack} Kingston to convene our subcommittee immediately," Democrats on the House Appropriations Health subcommittee said in a joint statement. […]

"The Homeland Security Committee met nearly two weeks ago, and an Energy and Commerce subcommittee will meet tomorrow. For our subcommittee, the one in charge of funding the NIH and CDC, to continue to shirk its responsibility and go without so much as a hearing is unacceptable,” they said in their statement Wednesday.

Kingston, the first GOP lawmaker to call for an "Ebola czar" obviously has refused to hold that hearing or say why. The spokesperson for the committee said simply that the Committee currently has no hearings scheduled as the Congress is in recess."

Recess can be interrupted, however, for the Energy and Commerce Health Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, as the Democrats noted. That's because that hearing is about "Ebola outrage," in which "CDC Director Thomas Frieden will likely face a series of tough questions." They'll also grill NIH infectious disease director Anthony Fauci and officials from Texas Presbyterian Hospital, where two nurses have contracted the disease after treating Duncan. There's always time for bashing the Obama administration for House Republicans.

The hearing will at least provide the opportunity to committee Democrats to ask about funding levels for the agencies, but the intent of this hearing is clearly political—Obama administration bashing. Doubt that? "Colorado Republican Congressman Cory Gardner, who is locked in a competitive race for the Senate against Democratic Senator Mark Udall, will travel back to Washington on Thursday to attend the hearing."

[Lns.Lns]

1. And this is a surprise?

This is what they do... and people keep freaking out nonetheless. Even on this side, when the question should be what you are talking about... heck no, we have to discuss whose fault it is... the CDC or the nurse. If it is comforting to absolutely have a scapegoat why not Texas and their lack of seriousness toward health care.

[Fred Sanders]

2. More anti-science charades from the anti-science GOP, what a pickle they are in when science is

the rescuing hero.

At a time of crisis count on Republicans to play petty politics. The most dangerous virus is not Ebola it is the virus infecting folks who do not believe in evolution.

[Warpy]

3. They don't care if it kills us

as long as they aren't at risk.

Assholes.

[procon]

4. Yeah, it's another GOP Obama bashing media event

As I listen to the hearing, I see the usual patterns emerge where Republican are going for the clever gotcha soundbites that will give them lots of face time on Fauxnews. They only want to blame the Obama administration, or the nurses, and they have repeatedly interrupted and cut off the testimony from the experts when their answers didn't match their agenda. On the other hand, most of the Dems seem to be focused on health safety policies and procedures, and finding important stuff like... oh, I dunno... facts and information that increases our knowledge and understanding.

Some of these Republicans are asking the stupidest questions -- think; that TV show "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader" -- its embarrassing to think that they are responsible for running this country. Lots and lots of fear mongering intended to terrify the public and generate suspicion about government agencies.