S5550 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 11, 2014 notwithstanding rule XXII, following may be only a piece of the picture. The tive equipment for health workers, the vote on cloture on S. 2199, the Sen- ability of these countries to locate, di- funding through rapid and flexible ate proceed to executive session and agnose, isolate and treat patients, funding mechanisms, training and su- vote on cloture on Executive Calendar trace and monitor contacts, and safely pervision, laboratory services, commu- Nos. 1003 and 1004; further, that if clo- bury the dead cannot possibly keep nications resources, and management ture is invoked on either of these nomi- pace. and logistics support. Unfortunately, the lack of urgency nations, on Tuesday, September 16, at There is nothing new about this ap- exhibited by much of the international 2:15 p.m., all postcloture time be ex- proach. But it is required on a far larg- community was exacerbated by budget pired and the Senate proceed to vote on er scale than was used to control Ebola cuts at the World Health Organization, confirmation of the nominations in the outbreaks in the past. order upon which cloture was invoked; for which there is ample blame to go further, that there be 2 minutes for de- around. After the 2009 global financial The situation today is grave, but we bate prior to each vote, and all rollcall crisis, WHO’s budget dropped by rough- can prevent many of these deaths. And votes after the first vote in each se- ly 1 billion dollars, nearly 25 percent of as we do so we need to help build quence be 10 minutes in length; fur- their budget today. stronger public health systems that ther, with respect to the nominations By the time of the current Ebola out- can contain future disease outbreaks. in this agreement, that if any nomina- break, staff levels at WHO had been cut Past efforts to build capacity have tion is confirmed, the motions to re- by 35 percent, and their ability to pre- clearly been woefully inadequate. As consider be considered made and laid pare for and respond to health emer- public health systems in these coun- upon the table and the President be im- gencies suffered accordingly. tries have been overwhelmed by Ebola, mediately notified of the Senate’s ac- Today, the Ebola crisis has the full patients suffering from malaria, TB, tion. attention of the World Health Organi- pneumonia, and other illnesses are un- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without zation, the Centers for Disease Control able to get treatment. objection, it is so ordered. and Prevention, USAID, President We should all pay tribute to the cou- f Sirleaf of Liberia, and other govern- ments. They recognize that unless ag- rageous public health workers who MORNING BUSINESS gressive, coordinated actions are taken have risked their lives—and in many Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent immediately, there will soon be tens of cases, lost their lives—trying to save that the Senate proceed to a period of thousands of cases, the disease will others from this terrible disease. It is morning business, with Senators per- spread into much of Africa, and it will inspiring to read the stories of nurses mitted to speak therein for up to 10 be an ongoing global threat for many and doctors, and those who dig the minutes each. years to come. graves and bury the dead, who have la- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without The challenges are immense: weak bored on as their colleagues have died, objection, it is so ordered. government institutions; dysfunctional who live with the daily reality that at f public health systems that cannot con- any moment they could be next. They duct reliable disease surveillance and are as brave as any soldier on the front THE EBOLA CRISIS response; lack of roads and other basic lines of battle. Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, over infrastructure; ethnic and political di- I also want to commend President the past several months the world’s at- visions in societies recovering from Sirleaf, her Minister of Defense, and tention has been focused on the Rus- war; misconceptions about the disease others who have tried their best to deal sian invasion of Crimea and fighting in and low levels of literacy; and inad- with this unprecedented emergency in the eastern Ukraine, the explosion of equate and uncoordinated inter- the face of woefully inadequate re- violence in Gaza, the flood of migrant national aid. sources. children from Central America, and the While the epidemic is finally begin- horrific death and destruction in Iraq ning to receive the attention it de- The United Nations says that $600 and Syria. serves, it is spiraling out of control. million is needed immediately to fight In each of these places vast numbers Huge numbers of cases are over- this disease. The United States has al- of innocent people have suffered ter- whelming local capacity to isolate and ready provided tens of millions of dol- ribly, and our own policies and capa- treat patients, trace their contacts, lars. USAID announced another $75 bility to respond have been severely and safely bury the dead. The cost of million last week. The White House has tested. personal protection gear is exorbitant requested additional funding for CDC, Yet one of the most urgent, difficult, and there is an acute shortage of which would bring the U.S. contribu- and frightening challenges facing the trained people. tion to over $250 million. world today is not the result of armed Also, the secondary effects of this The Department of Defense an- conflict or ethnic or religious extre- crisis are increasingly apparent. Food nounced that it will provide logistical, mism. It is the world’s first Ebola epi- insecurity is worsening and the econo- laboratory, and other support. The demic, and it poses a potentially dev- mies of these countries, already frag- World Bank has pledged over $200 mil- astating threat to Africa and people ev- ile, are facing collapse as imports and lion. Other governments are also com- erywhere. exports are plummeting. ing forward, as are private donors. The Before the August recess we were We and others have the knowledge Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation re- preparing to receive dozens of African and tools to contain and control this cently pledged $50 million to enhance heads of state to Washington. At that disease if cases are quickly isolated response efforts and accelerate re- time, Doctors Without Borders and and contacts identified, but actions to search on potential treatments and other nongovernmental organizations date have not been well coordinated vaccines. had been ringing alarm bells for weeks and have not always addressed the about the worsening Ebola outbreak in most urgent needs. The Congress has a role to play, and West Africa. Just as for a raging wildfire, the I am hopeful that as additional funds But the World Health Organization focus should be on deploying all avail- are needed we will act responsibly and and governments, including our own, able resources to provide immediate provide them. I am a cosponsor of S. were slow to respond to what was support for urgent needs identified on Res. 541, which recounts the history of viewed as a manageable, localized pub- the front lines to stop its spread, while this outbreak and the steps that are ur- lic health problem, rather than a crisis there is time. It will require mobiliza- gently needed to control it. I commend that could spin out of control. tion of the type and complexity as oc- Senators COONS, DURBIN, MENENDEZ No longer. Infections and deaths in curred after the Haiti earthquake. and others who introduced it. This is Liberia and Sierra Leone are increas- In West Africa, that means imme- not a partisan or political issue. It is a ing rapidly, with exponential accelera- diately scaling up staff, transport, iso- public health issue, a moral issue, and tion in these countries and potentially lation and treatment capacity, infec- one that should unite us all to do what in neighboring Guinea. Official reports tion control including personal protec- is necessary to defeat this epidemic. VerDate Mar 15 2010 08:21 Sep 12, 2014 Jkt 039060 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G11SE6.075 S11SEPT1 bjneal on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with SENATE September 11, 2014 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S5551 REMEMBERING JAMES M. me my political conscience,’ ‘‘ Post remem- Jeffords had Jeffords run for re-election in JEFFORDS bered Monday, the day Jeffords died. 2006. Jeffords did lose the primary, but he went ‘‘Vermonters admired him because of his Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, earlier on to serve seven terms in the U.S. House low-key and down-to-earth qualities, and be- this week, the Senate passed a resolu- and three in the Senate. In 2001, his con- cause of his obvious and strong love of the tion recognizing the life and career of science led him to leave the GOP, a stunning state and the Vermont way of life,’’ Sanders Senator Jim Jeffords. This Vermont move that shifted control of the chamber to said. ‘‘He was an effective champion of edu- icon passed away over the August re- the Democrats. cation, disability rights, the environment cess, nearly 8 years after concluding a Monday, Jeffords died shortly after 7 a.m. and the arts—and millions of Americans have benefited from his efforts.’’ decades-long career in public service. at Knollwood, a retirement home for mili- tary veterans in Washington, D.C. He was 80 Rep. Peter Welch, in an interview, spoke of That career, marked by historic mo- and the last Republican to hold federal office how Jeffords and his wife helped him during ments on the national stage, was one elected from Vermont.