United States President Donald Trump’s administration is seeking more than $1.4 billion in additional funding from Congress to prevent the widening Ebola outbreak from spreading to the US and to support the treatment and evacuation of Americans exposed to the virus.
The funding request was disclosed on Wednesday in a supplemental budget letter sent by the White House to Congress, according to a Trump administration official.
The move comes as concerns mount over the spread of Ebola in parts of Africa and the risk of international transmission.
It also follows protests earlier this month in Kenya over a planned U.S.-backed Ebola quarantine facility at the Laikipia Air Base, a controversial project that President William Ruto defended despite growing public opposition.
According to the administration, the funding package would be used to strengthen efforts aimed at preventing Ebola from reaching the United States while supporting Americans who may be exposed to the virus abroad.
The largest portion of the request, $800 million, is earmarked for a quarantine center in Kenya for Americans exposed to Ebola, as well as supplies, treatment, contact tracing, a regional logistics network and infection-control measures.
Another $500 million is being sought for global health security programmes intended to stop the virus from spreading to the United States. The funding would support disease surveillance, laboratory capacity, cross-border coordination and partnerships with multilateral organisations and private-sector entities.
The administration is also requesting $90 million for diplomatic and emergency response efforts, including evacuations and transportation of U.S. citizens infected with the virus to treatment facilities.
However, the proposal could face resistance in Congress, where some lawmakers have questioned the administration’s handling of previously approved foreign aid and global health funding.
The planned quarantine facility in Kenya has sparked opposition among residents and activists who argue that the country should not host a center for a disease that has not been recorded within its borders.
Nairametrics reported that Patrick Wahome, one of the protest organisers, said residents were worried about the close interaction between military personnel stationed at the Laikipia Air Base and nearby communities.
“Nanyuki is a very small town. The military personnel who serve the base … live with us. Our kids go to the same schools and that means if anyone is infected, we are all infected,” he said.
“We are picketing for our lives.”
The concerns gained further attention on Wednesday after France confirmed its first Ebola case involving a doctor who had returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The development highlighted how the virus can be transported across borders through international travel, reinforcing fears expressed by Kenyan protesters.
The latest funding request comes amid a worsening Ebola outbreak in Central and East Africa.
According to available data as of June 22, the Democratic Republic of Congo had recorded 1,094 confirmed Ebola cases and 277 confirmed deaths, making it the epicentre of the current outbreak.
Uganda, as of June 24, had reported 20 confirmed cases, two confirmed deaths, one probable case and one probable death.
The continued spread of the virus across multiple countries has heightened concerns among health authorities and governments about the risk of cross-border transmission.
The outbreak has also reignited debate over global preparedness and international health funding, particularly after Washington faced criticism for cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development and public health programmes in Africa prior to the outbreak.
