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Press Releases

Boozman Statement on Appointment of Ebola Czar

Calls for temporary travel restrictions for people entering U.S. who have been to West African countries experiencing Ebola outbreaks

Oct 17 2014

WASHINGTON –U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) today released the following statement in response to President Obama’s appointment of Ron Klain to coordinate the federal government’s response to the Ebola crisis.

“In light of the federal government’s slow response, missteps and conflicting messages, the American people lack faith in the administration’s ability to respond to a public health emergency of this magnitude. 

Therefore, I am pleased that President Obama recognizes the need for a point person in charge of the entire operation, but I do have concerns about his selection. Ron Klain has neither a logistics background nor an understanding of infectious diseases, two key components of ensuring a successful response to this crisis. Considering the enormous challenges ahead, in terms of preventing more Ebola cases from springing up in the United States, as well as winning back the public’s confidence that Washington is prepared to respond, I sincerely hope he proves to be the right person for the job. 

I believe the President needs a clear cut strategy to prevent the spread of Ebola. We need to be proactive and establish temporary travel restrictions for people entering the United States who have been to West African countries experiencing Ebola outbreaks. While the President has been resistant to this idea, the fact remains that more needs to be done to ensure public safety, and travel restrictions would be a commonsense place to start.”