Republicans call for accountability at HHS for Ebola response

Texas Republicans demanded accountability from the Obama administration on its response to the Ebola crisis.

Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) led all 24 Texas Republicans in the House in sending a letter over the weekend to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell.

{mosads}The lawmakers wrote that they were concerned about how resources were used in response to the U.S. outbreak of Ebola. The first U.S. Ebola case and death occurred in Dallas and nurses treating the patient were exposed to the virus.

They said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spent more than $1 billion in 2014 on public health preparedness and response activities, yet the Dallas hospital still wasn’t properly prepared to deal with Ebola.

“We must understand how years spent developing strategic plans and applying these significant resources failed to adequately prepare for dealing with Ebola after it was first discovered here,” the letter stated. “Before contemplating any additional course of action, we need a better understanding of how your Department has utilized the tools it’s already been given.”

The Republicans asked Burwell to provide details on the implementation of all pandemic response programs used to try and contain the Ebola outbreak.