--- title: Lawmakers Grill Obama Administration Over Ebola Outbreak description: Suggest travel restrictions as a potential solution canonical: https://time.com/3513196/ebola-congress/ author: Alex Rogers article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-16T18:14:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:40:35.282Z article:section: Politics og:title: Lawmakers Grill Obama Administration Over Ebola Outbreak og:description: Suggest travel restrictions as a potential solution og:url: https://time.com/3513196/ebola-congress/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt957bf0b27c1157d0/6987612506f2c1ca5b33169e/friedan-ebola-obama.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3500 og:image:height: 1969 og:image:alt: Frieden and Fauci testify before a House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing on the U.S. response to the Ebola crisis, in Washington og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Lawmakers Grill Obama Administration Over Ebola Outbreak twitter:description: Suggest travel restrictions as a potential solution twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt957bf0b27c1157d0/6987612506f2c1ca5b33169e/friedan-ebola-obama.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Lawmakers Grill Obama Administration Over Ebola Outbreak > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: 5 Ebola Questions You're Wondering About [Watch (HLS stream): 5 Ebola Questions You're Wondering About](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/9QwqrSi9.m3u8) (2:02)  _Published 2014-08-07. TIME Health Reporter Alexandra Sifferlin explains why there's no cure for Ebola, how infected patients are treated, and more common questions about the disease._ by [Alex Rogers](https://time.com/author/alex-rogers/) ## Alex Rogers Oct 16, 2014 6:14 PM UTC  From Left: Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Tom Frieden and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Director Anthony Fauci testify before a House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing on the U.S. response to the Ebola crisis, in Washington D.C. on Oct. 16, 2014. From Left: Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Tom Frieden and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Director Anthony Fauci testify before a House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing on the U.S. response to the Ebola crisis, in Washington D.C. on Oct. 16, 2014. Jonathan Ernst—Reuters by [Alex Rogers](https://time.com/author/alex-rogers/) ## Alex Rogers Oct 16, 2014 6:14 PM UTC _Updated at 8:36 p.m. ET_ Republican lawmakers pushed for stricter travel restrictions Thursday, firing questions at Obama Administration officials after revelations that a health care worker infected with the disease flew on a plane shortly after treating a patient who had died of the virus. [Amber Joy Vinson](http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2014/10/second-health-care-worker-tests-positive-for-ebola-in-dallas.html/) worked to help treat Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian man who died on Oct. 8, at Texas Presbyterian Hospital but rode on an airplane on Oct. 13, just a day before she developed a fever. It was revealed late Wednesday night that the CDC had actually [cleared](http://time.com/3510341/ebola-airplane/) Vinson to fly; she was diagnosed with Ebola on Tuesday. Shortly after the hearing, President Barack Obama signed an executive order allowing the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security to call up any military and Coast Guard reservists needed for the Ebola response effort in West Africa, where up to 4,000 American troops are preparing to deploy. He also thanked the CDC for dispatching an additional team of 16 people with experience in Ebola to Dallas where they will train and assist in hospital infection control procedures. “None of us can understand how a nurse who treated an Ebola-infected patient, and who herself had developed a fever, was permitted to board a commercial airline and fly across the country,” said Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), the House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman. “It’s no wonder the public’s confidence is shaken.” ### See The Tobacco Leaves That Could Cure Ebola  Tobacco plants are grown for six weeks in the Medicago greenhouse in Quebec City so their leaves are large enough to serve as a factory for making antibodies. The plants are not modified or genetically altered in any way during this time. Mathieu Belanger—Reuters  Researchers at Icon Genetics in Germany prepare the DNA coding for antibodies that can neutralize Ebola. These genes are inserted into a soil bacterium that easily infects the tobacco plant cells. Once in the cells, the gene is treated like any other plant gene and the plant starts churning out the antibodies. Sean Gallup—Getty Images  To infect the leaves with the antibody-containing bacteria, the plants are submerged in a water solution of the loaded bacteria. Plant cells have plenty of empty spaces filled with air, so a vacuum removes the air and the water, along with the bacteria and antibody genes, flow in. Mathieu Belanger—Reuters  The leaf at the bottom has not been treated. The leaf on top is now an antibody-making factory. The plant's normal machinery starts making the antibody as if it is a plant protein. Mathieu Belanger—Reuters  Researchers at Icon Genetics grind the leaves down to filter out the antibodies. Sean Gallup—Getty Images  Ultraviolet light reveals the clusters of cells that are busy making antibodies. One kg of leaves produces about 5g of antibodies, which is about a third of the dose required to treat an Ebola patient. Sean Gallup—Getty Images Upton joined other lawmakers, including Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) and House Speaker John Boehner, who want the Administration to consider travel restrictions between the U.S. and West African countries, where the outbreak has killed more than 4,500 people. “It needs to be solved in Africa but until it is, we should not be allowing these folks in, period,” Upton said at the hearing. Embattled Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Thomas Frieden countered that the Administration can better track people from the most vulnerable countries in West Africa without restrictions on travel. “Right now we know who’s coming in,” said Frieden. “If we try to eliminate travel… we won’t be able to check them for fever when they leave, we won’t be able to check them for fever when they arrive, we won’t be able—as we do currently—to see a detailed history to see if they’ve been exposed.” When pressed by Murphy if the Administration would ever consider changing its mind, Frieden said it would “consider any option to better protect Americans.” Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) said that he didn’t believe travel restrictions would be an effective protection measure, since people will find other avenues of travel. Waxman shifted blame from the CDC and the Obama Administration, instead focusing ire on Congress for “irrational budget cuts” that have dropped CDC’s funding by 12% when adjusted for inflation since 2006. “We have our share of responsibility,” he said. Obama said Thursday evening that he is considering appointing an Ebola czar. “It may be appropriate for me to appoint an additional person,” he said, quickly adding that it wouldn’t be because people like Frieden “haven’t been doing an outstanding job working hard on this issue.” “They are also responsible for a whole bunch of other stuff,” he said. Like flu season. _Read next:_ [_Here’s Who’s Blaming Who for Ebola_](http://time.com/3513274/ebola-cdc-obama-blame/?xid=time%5Freadnext) ## Transcript The Ebola virus is ravaging West Africa, taking at least 800 lives and leaving behind a lot of confusion. Here are five common questions about the disease. Number one, if there's no vaccine and cure for Ebola ,. What are doctors doing to treat infected patients? Currently, doctors can only provide supportive care like monitoring their heart rate, and blood pressure, and making sure their fluids are replenished. This will hopefully help sustain infected patients through the disease. If there's no cure for Ebola, how are some people surviving? When someone is infected with the virus, the body produces antibodies to fight it. People who have survived Ebola have produced enough antibodies to neutralize the virus and eventually, their immune system will clear it. Number three, why is there no vaccine or drug for Ebola? There are currently experimental drugs and vaccines under development. But since Ebola is a relatively rare disease compared to others, there hasn't been a financial incentive for pharmaceutical companies to put a lot of funding into these drugs. Number four. How can Americans with Ebola be evacuated back to the U. S .? There are certain plains that medical groups use to evacuate and transport people with very infectious diseases. The plains can be equipped with medical equipment, as well as units to isolate patients from doctors. Doctors accompanying patients will wear full body suits to keep themselves protected. Number 5, what are my chances of getting Ebola in the U. S .? [ MUSIC ] The only way to contract the disease is through direct contact with bodily fluids, which can include blood, vomit, semen, and yes, even sweat. With proper protection and equipment, being infected with the disease is highly unlikely. For more answers to your questions about Ebola and to follow Time's coverage of the disease, visit time. com / ebola. 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