By Christie Duffy
Correspondent
Ebola is only a flight away. Here on our shores, political leaders are debating what to do next.
U.S Representative Bill Pascrell had harsh words for a congressional colleague.
“Scott Garrett — the congressman to the north of me — criticized the president of the United States for not acting swift enough. This guy voted no to increase the funds at CDC. He voted no against the Ebola funds. Who the hell is he? Why aren’t we pointing out this hypocrisy? He’s a hypocrite. Period,” Pascrell said.
Garrett’s opponent in the upcoming November election also pounced.
“I think politicians have to let the public health experts do their job and provide the CDC with the appropriate funding that they need to be able to effectively operate. And the reality is, Scott Garrett just last month voted against funding for the CDC,” said Congressional candidate Roy Cho.
Two Democrats and five Republicans voted yes to increase funding to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health to fight Ebola on the front lines. Three Democrats and one Republican voted no.
“I voted no just as well as half the Democrat delegation in New Jersey did on that bill because of not the Ebola situation but because the president tagged onto that bill unnecessarily his initiative to go to war with in the Middle East,” Garrett said.
Ebola funding made up two parts of the 49-part joint resolution that did end up passing both houses and was signed in the president in September. But on the heels of the first Ebola death in the U.S. this week, Garrett wrote a letter to his constituents saying the president is not doing enough, fast enough.
“We absolutely should be restricting flights from the countries where we know where this disease is,” Garrett said.
Screening of incoming passengers from the infected region is set to start next week at Newark Liberty, a move an American doctor who fought Ebola in Africa just last month says is not enough.
“You have to realize that that’s wonderful for airports themselves so Newark Airport will rapidly have information for someone that is ill, but it will not prevent what happened in Dallas,” said Dr. Aileen Marty, professor of infectious diseases at Florida International University.
Garrett says if things get worse and more is not done by Obama, Republicans could consider heading back to Washington early to act on a flight ban.