The Republican Doctors Caucus is urging President Obama to impose a flight ban from countries affected by the Ebola epidemic, a step the White House says it will not take.
Sixteen members of the group wrote to Obama Tuesday outlining their position, which has support from most Republican rank-and-file lawmakers.
{mosads}”Containment is the key to stopping the spread of this highly contagious and deadly disease, and we strongly urge your administration to consider implementing a temporary travel ban for individuals who are citizens of, or traveled to, affected countries in West Africa,” the letter states.
Administration officials have spent two weeks pushing back on the idea of a flight ban, arguing the move would backfire, worsen the epidemic and increase the risk to Americans.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) took a new step Tuesday to limit travel for people from West Africa by requiring them to enter the United States through one of five airports where Ebola screenings are underway.
The White House said Tuesday the move would help “ensure the safety and security of the American public.” Press secretary Josh Earnest said the administration was “pleased” the new restrictions would take effect on Wednesday.
“This is relatively creative policymaking,” Earnest said. “This is a situation where the DHS had to work with the airlines that are flying passengers from a wide variety of countries from Europe to the United States. It did require some work with the State Department to inform other countries. So there’s a lot of coordination that had to go into developing and implementing this policy.”
The announcement did not pacify Republicans, who said the latest restrictions do not go far enough. Seventy-four House members support a flight ban, according to a list assembled by The Hill.