WASHINGTON -- House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Wednesday that President Barack Obama should “absolutely consider” a travel ban on people entering the United States from countries affected by the outbreak of Ebola.
“A temporary ban on travel to the United States from countries afflicted with the virus is something that the president should absolutely consider along with any other appropriate actions as doubts about the security of our air travel systems grow,” Boehner said in a statement.
Last week, two dozen Republicans and three Democrats sent a letter to Obama urging him to restrict travel.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has taken a much more measured approach, saying that experts should determine what kinds of restrictions are necessary.
"I think we ought to listen to what the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] thinks they need either in terms of financing, or certainly they'll decide the procedures for travel and all the rest," McConnell told NBC News. "I think we need to follow the advice of the experts who know how to fight scourges like this."
The head of the CDC, Tom Frieden, said Monday that the agency would "“rethink the way we address Ebola control" after the first of two Dallas nurses was diagnosed with Ebola. Both helped care for a patient who ultimately died from the illness.
Boehner said the Obama administration "must be able to assure Americans that we will stop the spread here at home."
"We will continue to press the administration for better information about what steps will be taken to protect the American people, including our troops, from this deadly virus,” Boehner said.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated the timing of a comment from CDC Director Tom Frieden.
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