Congressional Record—Senate S764
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S764 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE February 4, 2015 doesn’t mean we can’t deliver for the Amer- and lost opportunities in the early re- ters for Disease Control and Prevention ican people. On the contrary—divided gov- sponse to this disease outbreak. and the U.S. Agency for International ernment has frequently been a time to get Ebola pushed governments, inter- Development and international organi- big things done. That’s something Henry national organizations, and the private zations such as WHO the resources they Clay would have well understood and appre- ciated. sector and health care responders into need? Can we count on them to take Because principled compromise across unknown territory, forcing everyone to the steps to ensure that the right peo- party lines was very familiar to Henry Clay. think and act in new ways. Unfortu- ple are in the right places with the au- Three times in the early years of the nately, with the exception of the non- thority to make the necessary deci- American Republic, the split between North governmental organization Doctors sions in a timely manner? and South threatened to tear the country Without Borders, we were all too slow Too often it seems that we have to apart. And three times before the Civil War to recognize this. The initial response relearn the same lessons each time for finally began, Henry Clay kept the nation to- missed key opportunities to prevent gether, through compromise and negotia- different situations and countries. tion. the crisis from becoming an epidemic, There are already reports, including a Were it not for his leadership, America as and as a result thousands of people died January 19 article in the Washington we know it may not exist today. who might have avoided infection. The Post that describes newly built Ebola The Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship symptoms of the initial victims were response centers, paid for by the rightly keeps his spirit of compromise alive not recognized as Ebola, signs that the United States Government, that stand today through its education programs for epidemic was spreading rather than re- empty or have closed because the num- high school and college students. The Center ceding, as some believed, were mis- teaches Kentucky’s future leaders about ber of new Ebola cases has dropped Henry Clay and the art of meaningful dia- interpreted, and governments and sharply. It is far better to be prepared logue and discourse. international organizations did not ef- than unprepared, but we need to reas- It makes me proud as a Kentuckian to see fectively communicate or coordinate sess the situation and be sure that we Henry Clay’s legacy live on, whether it is with local communities impacted by are adjusting our response appro- through the Clay Center, through the U.S. the virus, nor were the necessary re- priately. Senate, or through all of us here today. sources to combat the disease available The fiscal year 2015 Consolidated Ap- It makes me proud as a Kentuckian to see in-country early enough. the imprint the Bluegrass State has made on propriations Act includes $2.5 billion the history of this country. Not only Clay, As work was done to overcome these for the Department of State and but famous Kentuckians like Abraham Lin- missteps and challenges, the epidemic USAID response to the Ebola crisis. As coln. John Sherman Cooper. Alben Barkley. spread further across borders, as did ranking member of the appropriations And the recently departed Wendell Ford. rumors, and fear increased, people in subcommittee that funds those agen- And it makes me proud as a Kentuckian to the affected areas became increasingly cies, I hope they will ensure that we see how many other Kentucky traditions distrustful of those who were trying to use these funds to avoid past mistakes, have made a lasting imprint on our country. help, and already scarce health care by improving flexibility to respond to Not least of which is the Run for the Roses workers became harder to recruit. on the first Saturday of every May. the crisis as it changes, relying less on So thank you for allowing me to be here The consequences of not containing international nongovernmental organi- tonight. And thank you for taking the spirit the disease in the early stages have zations and foreign contractors, and in- of Kentucky with you wherever you go. been catastrophic. As of January 28, creasing support for building local pub- Good night. WHO estimates that 8,795 people have lic health capacity and a sustainable f died from the Ebola virus, and accord- and resilient private sector, increasing ing to UNICEF’s preliminary esti- LESSONS FROM THE EBOLA awareness and sensitivity to cultural mates, as of December 29 at least 3,700 EPIDEMIC norms of those impacted by the crisis, children in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra and improving communication and co- Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, not long Leone have lost one or both parents to ordination among local communities, ago Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, the disease. The children of those coun- local and national governments, and the World Health Organization, WHO, tries have not attended school since the international community. These and the United Nations, and the United mid-2014. While Guinea reopened their are not new ideas but they emerge time States, Great Britain, France, and schools in mid-January, attendance and again. other countries were frantically trying has remained low. Liberia is preparing Finally, we need to be far better pre- to bring the Ebola crisis in West Africa to reopen schools in mid-February, and pared for protecting American citizens under control. Sierra Leone hopes to reopen its from contagious diseases that can Thousands of people died due to a dis- schools by the end of March. spread like wildfire from a single astrous failure by WHO’s Africa re- Unemployment and business closures health care worker or other infected gional representative, serious mis- have increased, cross-border trade has individual who returns from an af- calculations by local officials and glob- plummeted, and there are concerns fected country. Fortunately, only one al health experts, and a myriad of that food shortages and malnutrition death from Ebola occurred in the U.S., other problems ranging from weak will increase because food stock that but it could have been far worse. local health systems that were quickly would normally be kept for next year is Now is the time to reassess how we overwhelmed to a lack of accurate in- already being eaten. should respond domestically and inter- formation and cultural practices that According to the World Bank’s De- nationally to regional epidemics and helped spread the disease rather than cember estimates, the growth in GDP prepare accordingly. We cannot afford contain it. in 2014 for Liberia and Sierra Leone fell to waste time and resources making But in the past few weeks there has by over 60 percent in each country and the same mistakes and relearning old been some good news about progress in Guinea’s GDP growth in 2014 is down lessons. stopping Ebola. According to WHO, Li- by 89 percent. beria, Sierra Leone, and Guinea re- Much of our investments in the re- f corded their lowest weekly numbers of building of Liberia and Sierra Leone A RETURN TO DEMOCRACY IN SRI new cases in months. The United Na- since the civil wars there have been ob- LANKA tions special envoy on Ebola stated literated by Ebola. These countries are that the epidemic appears to be slow- back at square one. Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, for hun- ing down, and the Government of Libe- The world’s initial response to the dreds of millions of people around the ria has set a target of zero new Ebola Ebola crisis illustrates how unprepared globe, including in countries whose cases by the end of February. we are for future global health crises governments are allies of the United It is heartening to see that the hard which may be far more devastating and States, democracy and human rights work by Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, fast spreading than Ebola, if that is are aspirations that seem beyond and the international community are possible to imagine. reach. According to a recent report by bringing results. But we are not out of How can we avoid repeating our mis- Freedom House, the state of freedom in the woods yet and there are important takes? Are we going to provide our own the world declined in almost every re- lessons to be learned from the mistakes government agencies such as the Cen- gion over the past year. But while we VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:37 Feb 06, 2015 Jkt 049060 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD15\S04FE5.REC S04FE5 rmajette on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE February 4, 2015 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S765 should be deeply concerned by this dis- with independent police and judicial proaches to improve academic outcomes for couraging trend, we should also recog- institutions, and inclusive governance. students, particularly low-income and at- nize where progress is being made. He has also committed to taking steps risk students? Second, how can we improve On January 8, the people of Sri the federal law to encourage more states, to address the cases of those detained districts, and schools to innovate? Lanka stunned a repressive govern- under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, And when I say law, I should also draw at- ment that had been rapidly central- PTA, many of whom are political pris- tention to the regulations that have followed izing power and dismantling demo- oners like Jeyakumari Balendran.