House Republican presses leadership for Liberia travel ban

Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-Texas) urged Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to pursue an immediate air travel ban on all passengers traveling to the U.S. from Liberia who are not American citizens to prevent spread of the Ebola virus.

Marchant, whose Dallas-area district includes Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, where a Liberian man later diagnosed with Ebola landed, urged Boehner in a letter to act quickly. The Texas Republican argued that instituting a travel ban from Liberia would help limit spread of the disease to the U.S. 

{mosads}”We must act swiftly to reduce any further spread of this disease in the United States,” Marchant wrote. “Prohibiting travel to the United States for individuals traveling from or through Liberia would greatly reduce this risk to the public.”

The Liberian man diagnosed with Ebola, Thomas Eric Duncan, flew from Liberia to the United States last month. He did not start displaying symptoms until after he had arrived in Dallas.

Separately, Marchant also urged House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) to hold hearings “immediately” on implementing a travel ban on Liberia.

“I would appreciate the House Homeland Security Committee reviewing the most effective measures at implementing a travel ban from Liberia and ensuring the safety of the American public from this deadly virus,” Marchant wrote in a letter to McCaul.

Liberia is one of the three main countries in West Africa struggling to control the Ebola outbreak, along with Sierra Leone and Guinea. However, Marchant did not specifically call for a travel ban on either of the other two countries.