Exclusive-Trump to seek more than $1.4 billion in Ebola funding from Congress

By Trevor Hunnicutt

WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) – The White House is planning to seek more than $1.4 billion in new funds from Congress to address the widening Ebola virus outbreak as soon as Wednesday, according to a Trump administration official.

The request, which is set to be included in a larger supplemental funding request, would include $800 million more for humanitarian crisis response.

That $800 million will fund a quarantine center in Kenya for Americans exposed to the virus as well as supplies, treatment, contact tracing, a regional logistics network and infection control practices.

U.S. officials are also seeking an additional $500 million in global health security funds they say are needed to prevent the virus from spreading to the United States. That funding would include disease surveillance, laboratory capacity, and cross-border coordination, as well as potential partnerships with multilateral organizations and the private sector, the official said.

Another $90 million would go to diplomatic efforts, including evacuations and transportation of U.S. citizens with the virus to treatment facilities, according to the official. The funding request was not previously reported.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)