i've worked together in government, in business and i'll be able to do it in the fifth congressional district. my number is number 31. i appreciate you tuning in tonight. god bless you and keep you in his care. >> representative mcalister, why should i vote for you? >> well, for me it's pretty simple. for all of my 40 years i've only been allowed in the room to take what the government gives me and figure out how to make what i make through this world. now you put me up there for a year and i got to be in the kitchen and for that i ask you to finish what we started. back last november you trusted me to go up and fight the fight. regardless of any personal mistakes in my personal life i have done the job. they call me a maverick. they call me a loose cannon. i'm the 5th district's maverick and loose cannon. i'm one of you. for that i will always fight for you. i am your biggest lobbyist when it comes to going to washington because i'm your lobbyist against all the other special

interests out there. i care and i'll keep caring. i hoff you. ask for your vote and hope to see you soon. >> thank you, mr. congressman. mr. tarpley without mentioning any of your opponents why should i vote for you? >> the policies of the federal government are destroying the middle class in this country. we see rising prices, wages that are stagnating, jobs that have been shipped overseas. right here in our district we see jobs that have been lost over the last ten, 15, 20 years. what is the problem? the problem, ladies and gentlemen, is not that washington is broken. washington is bought. the problem is that special interests control what goes on in washington. we need a congressman who will not be controlled by special interests, that won't allow the pac money and the big money from the big corporate interests to dictate what he does in washington, d.c. we need a congressman that will fight for the middle class, that will fight for the farmers, that will fight for the small businessmen, and work hard at representing the citizens of this district.

that's what i intend to do. >> the last comment tonight from ralph abraham without mentioning any of your opponents why should i vote for you? >> folks, we've got to get back to the constitutional and christian rights that our founding fathers envisioned. we are so far down that road or away from that room that the cliff is really close. i want to run for the right reasons. i want to serve for the right reasons. not for political gain, not for monetary gain, and not for money. if you look at my website, if elected, i've told you i would donate my salary to st. jude's and benefits organizations. a terrible day for me when i have to look a mother in her eye and tell her her child has cancer. st. jude's is a saving grace organization. we can do this. i ask for your vote on november 4th. i'm ralph abraham. thank you so much. >> thank you, doctor. we appreciate that. >> that is all the time we have this evening. we thank all of our candidates and you for joining us tonight

and make sure to get up to the polls on november 4th. >> and a special thanks to creedan creed for sponsoring tonight's political forum. >> thanks for joining us here in alexandria. >> it's going to be quite an election day. >> it will be. >> see you back here next month. >> your voice, your vote. you've been watching campaign 2014 voice your vote congressional forum live on knoe news and cbs 2 brought to you exclusively by creed & creed. >> our coverage of louisiana politics continues on wednesday night when u.s. senate candidates mary landrieu, bill cassidy, and rob maness meet for a televised debate. part of the over 100 debates for control of congress we're bringing you on c-span. watch it live at 8:00 p.m. eastern time. >> be part of c-span's campaign 2014 coverage.

follow us on twitter and like us on facebook to get debate schedules, video clips of key moments, debate previews from our politics team, c-span is bringing you over 100 senate house and governor debates and you can instantly share your reactions to what the candidates are saying. the battle for control of congress. stay in touch and engage by following us on twitter at c-span and liking us on facebook at facebook.com/c-span. one of the more closely watched house races this year is in new york's 11th district, which includes staten island and parts of brooklyn. the incumbent michael grimm is the only republican representing new york city. he and his democratic challenger dominic recommend ya -- recchia met for their first debate last week. this is a half hour. all eyes are on the race for

new york's 11th congressional district. incumbent congressman michael grimm and his democratic challenger former city councilman dominic recchia are vying to represent staten island and southern brooklyn. the issues in the 11th district nge from super storm sandy recovery to the eric garner arrest. this morning the candidates face off in their first televised debate. welcome to this very special election edition of up close. i'm diana williams. the election now just a little over two weeks away. many voters on staten island and parts of brooklyn are still undecided. we hope this next half hour will help. joining me this morning republican congressman michael grimm and his democratic challenger dominic recchia. a lot of questions to cover. we are limiting the responses to one minute with rebutals of 45 seconds. each candidate will have a minute to make their closing

remarks. we want to get started right away. we're going to begin in alphabetical order with mr. grimm and starting with the big topic on everybody's minds right now and that is ebola. your republican colleagues right now are saying there should be a travel ban in place. you know that staten island has the largest liberian population outside the country of liberia. do you support that travel ban? >> i support at a minimum a serious restriction on travel. people should not be traveling for recreational purposes. the first step is a serious restriction. if we see another instance of ebola in the united states like in texas i would support a ban but at a minimum a serious restriction should be in place at this point. >> you're saying serious restriction but another ebola case. you say ban people from liberia. >> yes. >> from coming to this country. and the other countries as well. >> yes. absolutely. i just met with the liberian leaders within staten island. their biggest concern is being stigmatized. that concerns me because if someone does have the symptoms, we don't want them being fearful of going to the

hospital because they are worried about the stigma. i've met with the liberian community and also just went to newark airport to see their new procedures. i've been in contact with the c.d.c. and with both hospitals. i spoke with the infectious disease specialists at both hospitals, staten island university and richmond university medical center. so there are procedures in place. no one should be panicy whatsoever. but i do have concern that as we approach the flu season and those symptoms are so common that there is going to be some panic if we don't get ahead of it. >> where do you stand? >> i think that is a process in place right now is the right process when coming into this country, that physical exam, fill out the paperwork and make sure that is headed, you know, kept up with. also, i think we have to monitor the future. we have a new czar that was appointed today. the ebola czar. i think that was the right move. but, also, i think we have to just work with all of the hospitals, be prepared. the governor, the mayor has stated that we are ready for any ebola crisis in the city.

we are in the right direction, prepared. ready to move forward to help anybody. and we also have to look out for the issue of the c.d.c., center for disease control. okay? that they're funded properly. my colleague, my opponent cut the funding to them and the hospital preparedness. >> that is actually not true. c.d.c. has been funded in the last two years more than the president asked for. they had increased funding. >> that is not true. >> you bring up the c.d.c. and thomas freden heads the c.d.c. right now. do you think that he should go? >> i think right now we're in a crisis. we need to address it. we need to send people out to the hospitals that need the assistance. we need to get the message out and work with all the hospitals right now. i think we have to focus on the crisis. >> do you think he has done a good job handling the crisis and do you think president obama is doing a good job? >> we have to focus on the crisis and helping the people of this city. i'm worried about the people of

my district and this country. we have to focus on them. we have one of the largest liberian communities. we have to help them and address these issues. >> what do you think? >> i don't think -- number one i don't think the president has handled it well. i think there has been a lack of leadership. what i hear when i go to the hospitals, i'm speaking directly to the nurses that say they get different information every single day. they don't feel they have the heavy equipment they need that the c.d.c. should have been ahead of. there should have been procedures in place before there is a problem. we know it's endemic in countries like guinea, sierra leone, and so on. obviously liberia. but it hasn't come to the united states. it is not endemic yet. they should have been prepared for that. i don't think the president has handled it well. i certainly don't think the c.d.c. handled it well evidenced by the fact that they allow a nurse exposed to an ebola patient who died to fly on a commercial airline and then the administration basically said she should have en on a private jet, like an average nurse can afford a charter flight.

>> you cut the funding. you cut the funding for hospital preparedness. face the facts. the record is clear that you've cut the funding. >> the c.d.c. has received more funding in the last few years than ever before. >> you voted to cut the funding for hospital preparedness and for c.d.c. and n.i.h. >> simply not true. >> you know what? you left the fbi. you lied and now you are lying to your constituents >> could i just address that? i've never even been interviewed by the fbi or the u.s. attorney so how could i have lied to them? >> lying under oath. >> it is not true. as a gentleman, you are a lawyer. you have ethical obligations as an attorney. you are saying something that is not true. i was never even interviewed by them. >> there a 2 it count indictment -- >> you are lying. >> i am not lying. >> gentlemen. we can't allow this to become a shouting match. >> exactly. >> i'll move ahead to this

question. you brought it up. you do face a 20-count indictment >> yes >> and your trial begins on november 1st because of issues with a health food restaurant in manhattan hiring illegal immigrants, not paying taxes on the earnings. it does become a question of why should people vote for you months over the next and perhaps years may be dealing with a very difficult trial? >> a trial is two to three weeks. but i think what the fundamental question is, do all democrats out there, and all republicans, believe in the presumption of innocence? that is part of our constitutional rights. something i'm very proud of, we have the presumption of innocence and i believe i am entitled to my day in court just like anyone else. when my opponent makes these assertions as a lawyer i think it is very offensive and proves he doesn't believe in the constitution. many of his colleagues that had 87 counts indictments he stood on the steps of the hall saying they should have their day in court. in my opinion it is completely

hypocrite call. allow me to have the same constitutional rights that every democrat, republican, and independent in this country is allowed. >> can it be effective if you are dealing with a trial and many on capitol hill right now steer clear of you? >> sure. i think my effectiveness is evidenced by the fact that just recently before we broke i passed one of the biggest pieces of legislation, landmark flood insurance reform, bipartisan, working across the aisle all while this investigation was going on. i passed the most legislation out of my freshman class and i've been extremely effective especially delivering on sandy and many other ways. i don't think my effectiveness has been called into question by my constituents and i would say my constituent services i would put up against any member of congress in any district, 435 across this country. i move mountains for my constituents consistentlyly and they know that. >> if found guilty would you

resign? >> certainly. if i was not able to serve of course i would step aside and there would be a special election. i think that is obvious. >> the flood insurance bill was passed before he was indicted. again, he is not being truthful. and when he -- >> talking about -- >> what he is talking about. >> what is the name of that bill? >> the bill that would lower premiums. okay? in addition to that, two years prior to that, he voted to increase the premiums to that bill. but let's get forward. he is ineffective right now. leadership of his partners don't want anything to do with him. he has no committee. he can't get anything done. and he's going to be on trial for several weeks so people of this district are not going to be served by a congress member dealing is too busy with his own problems. that is not right. he should step down. the people of this district deserve better. i'm going to fight for them

24/7 and i am the person who has the track record of getting things done. >> okay. >> could i rebut that? my opponent is talking about being effective. first of all no one in the world think the house is going to flip to democrat. it is a republican house. the democrats don't even have, they're in the minority. there won't -- he won't be at the table when big issues come up. you talk about ineffective. we have 12 other democrats in the house. >> you're not at the table, michael. >> how would you know? you're not in congress. >> you're not in the table. >> i want to turn it now to sandy. superstorm sandy sandy. a lot of homes on staten island along the south shore not been rebuilt yet. mr. recchia, this is directed at you because we are now approaching the two-year anniversary. many home owners blamed dysfunction and red tape in the city's build it back and rapid repair programs and you stood with mayor bloomberg when he announced that build it back program in june of 2013. the question for you, you were

on city council for a number of years. many years. why has that program not worked? >> the program needed improvement and when the new mayor came in he made the improvements but a lot more needs to be done. let's face it. we had to wait 80 days before a bill was passed in congress. when a katrina bill -- >> but the city has been slow to hand out the money. >> we didn't want to make the mistakes they made down in katrina. when they pass a bill in ten days, we'd or rather, wait. 80 days before a bill was passed and we had to make sure everything was in line. in addition, in my committee we passed a bill that is open and transparent that all the spending had to go online. someone could see where the money was going. and i worked hard for my district setting up everything we needed. going back at night. getting -- moving money around so we could open up the schools and the hospitals >> people on staten island

dealing with this say there is just too much red tape. did the council create more red tape? >> we tried to make less red tape and get the money moving faster. when i'm the congressman i'm going to work with the city and the state to get money moving out faster to get those people back in the homes, those who want to get reimbursed need to get reimbursed. i'm going to be out there making sure this moves. >> you know about the frustration of home owners and businesses. >> i am extremely frustrated because i am the one who fought so hard in congress to get that money. you keep talking about an 80 day delay. most of the time it was the president rightfully. i'm not bashing the president. rightfully waiting for the governor and the mayor. i already told my opponent to give us a number. that was the first month and a half. >> until you cut a deal to support the speaker. >> the first month and a half we had to wait for a number because we couldn't have set, unlike katrina we have a very complicated system with subways and so on to assess that damage took a lot longer. after the money was given to the city my opponent was in the city council, finance chairman,

not one press conference did he hold. not one -- >> i don't grandstand like you, michael. i work for the people. >> can you let him finish? >> if he is going to make statements, i don't grandstand. i work. i get results. >> let him finish. >> but there were no results. the bottom line when he left office as the finance chair there were zero starts in staten island, zero reimbursement checks. it was an absolute disaster. i called on mayor bloomberg to give the money -- do you remember what the first tronch money was? the first tronch the federal government gave. you were finance chair. how much money? >> you tell me. you said you know so much. >> obviously you don't know. $1.77 billion. you know how much was given to one and two family homes? frpblts there was different priorities. priority one, priority two. >> i wrote the bill. let me tell you the priorities of congress. >> you should have made sure. >> right. we gave it to the city. that's where it should have gone. we gave it to the city. the city was supposed to give it to one and two family home owners. you know how much the city allocated? out of $1.8 billion with a b do

you know? >> we did what was best for the city of new york. >> 300 million. >> i don't think that is what was best and that's why people are still waiting today because of that mistake. it wasn't what was best. it was the wrong decision. >> okay. it wasn't. >> we'll come back. let's move on to the other issues. >> we have to wait until you cut a deal. >> let's move on to another issue folks in staten island are concerned about and that is the eric garner case and police brutality. the tomkinsville community, great concern about the police community relations there. while in city council, you voted against having an inspector general mr. recchia and you also voted against the nypd racial profiling law which allows people to sue police if they've been racially profiled. would you still vote that same way, given the garner case and what has happened and what we are seeing literally around the country? would you still vote the same way? >> my thoughts and prayers go

out to eric garner and his family and out of respect to the garner family and the nypd i'll reserve decision until the district attorney finishes his full investigation. i have confidence in district attorney, dna donovan who does a great job and he will be fair in his investigation. i do believe i would still vote, you know, in those bills that i voted for, inspector general, we have district attorneys. we have internal affairs. we didn't need that. and there is an opportunity for people to sue in federal court. and those bills i felt were not the right bills and i felt we have to work together with the community and the police. that's what i've done. in my district over the years is bring the police and the community together. that is what i'm going to do as a congressman is work together with the community and the police department, bringing them together to foster a relationship and bring crime down. that's what we need in the city. >> and you think the justice department should take over the

investigation? >> that is a decision -- listen. that is a decision that the justice department has to make. i am holding off all decisions until the district attorney dan donovan comes out with his final report. >> your responses? >> i think this is where you'll see -- >> let me go back to beginning of the question. inspector general, ability to sue, and -- >> i think this is where we have a big difference between my opponent and i. as a congressman for staten island, one thing i've been bold on the issues and constituents in my district know exactly where i stand. i think the mayor made a very big mistake by bringing al sharpton into center stage. i think that was a big mistake. why? i think al sharpton is very divisive and often exploits the situation. this was a tragedy. my heart is broken for that family as well. this is a tragedy. but to bring in someone like al sharpton only to exacerbate the situation and inflame it is the absolute wrong thing. when they wanted to march across the verazzano bridge i

was one of the first to step up and say this is absolutely inappropriate. this should not be done. it sends the wrong message to staten island. a lot of staten islanders felt this was a march against them. in addition i think of course any specific nypd officer or anyone in any agency can make a mistake or do something wrong and there is a justice system for that. i was very out spoken in saying danny donovan is more than competent and qualified and can handle this. justice should stay out of it because we have someone qualified and capable. when they did do the rally even though it wasn't over the bridge antinypd slogans were said. i stand totally against it. the nypd has a difficult enough job without bringing al sharpton into it. >> i want you to characterize how you believe community police relations are on staten island right now. mr. recchia? >> i believe that there are relationships there. >> good, fair, poor? >> they can always be improved. police and community relationships could always be improved. >> good, fair, poor? >> i think actually pretty good. -- is an isolated rel

situation. i would say overall the relationship is very good. >> a couple quick yes or no questions. break it up a little bit. staten island burough president james oates had a study to find out whether tourists should pay to ride the staten island ferry. yes or no? >> probably not because i think the -- it would cost more to implement the system than it would yield in revenue. >> no because it would hurt the business on staten island and the culture and the institutions we need to bring up. that's what i'm going to do as a congressman. i'm going to work with the cultural institutions to increase attendance and since the toll went up on the verazzano bridge to $15 the attendance at the staten island children's museum has been going down. we need to bring the tourism, from manhattan, from brooklyn, bring them to staten island. >> can i ask a question? my opponent keeps talking about toll and how we need to have more tourism and it hurts our

businesses but he voted for an $8 toll on the bridge. >> i did not vote to raise the toll. that is -- look where it's coming from, michael. you know what? >> yes or no? >> i did not vote to raise the tolls. >> no. >> i did not vote to raise the tolls. >> yes or no? >> gentlemen. another yes or no question here. another yes or no question. let's find out where you stand ob adding pedestrian or bike lanes on the verazzano. that is a nice, easy question. >> absolutely not. >> it is something we should look into and look at the community. i believe in having community input. before you make a decision as an elected official, when i rezoned coney island which was so successful it was successful because we had input of the community. that is what i'm going to do as a congressman. before i'm going to rush to decisions i am going to meet with the community and see what they want and be their voice.

>> the entire documentary on how dominic recchia has sold out coney island. look at it online. >> jobs were there. jobs were brought in. >> $9500 -- >> you can -- your record, 20-count criminal indictment. >> staten island is often called the forgotten burough or the orphan child. i want to know what have you done in congress specifically for staten island? specifically? >> okay. several things. number one, i think when superstorm sandy hit it was very evident i was on the ground going to making sure every hospital had what they needed including backup generators. going to each shelter making sure they had beds and cots and food and everything they needed and then from day one even before the storm on the ground making sure they were not forgotten. so working through sandy and then receiving the, you know, staten island university just received a federal grant, $40 million. richmond university medical center just received $12

million. and $191 million was just given for two new ferries and m.t.a. transportation infrastructure. so that i would say off the bat, and i passed the pipeline bill that created hundreds of open jobs. >> mr. recchia you were to be in congress representing staten island. what would you specifically do for staten island? >> i would work hard to address the transportation issue to work hard to lower the tolls and to fight hard to get funding for a light rail. that needs to be addressed to transportation. let's get cars off the road. i know what people are going through day in and day out. in addition we have to address the jobs, raise the minimum wage, make paycheck fairness, where women should be paid as men for doing the same job and education. there is a middle school issue on this island i am going to address. >> let me ask you this question. you live in brooklyn.

are you staten island enough for staten island? >> i am more staten island than michael grimm. my mother lives on staten island. my three sisters live on staten island. i've worked in staten island. i brought funding in for many of the cultural institutions, not for profits. my three children were born in staten island. >> are you staten island enough? >> i lived there for the last 21 years. >> you lived in queens. >> i just said i lived there for the last 21 years. i am not obviously 21 years old. before that i was also in the military serving in combat protecting this country and as a special agent of the fbi. besides that, we hear about light rails. he was the finance chair of the city council. the mta didn't even put a light rail in their budget. the reality is it is the local electeds that need to fight for the light rail because you can't get federal funding without it being in the capital budget of. the openly thing my opponent did, he did vote for congestion pricing to add an $8 toll on

the brooklyn bridge. >> i have to address that. the city council put the first part of the money to the first part of the study. need another $5 million. i would have loved to put the money in the budget but you know why we couldn't? because michael voted for sequestration and that closed down programs, hedged off programs and job care centers and job care slots and programs after programs were going to close because of michael grimm's vote. that's why we couldn't get the money. you should be the last one to talk about fiscal responsibility. you can't even balance your own check book. he cut us so bad the minority leader, debby row the council woman came to me and said we have to save these programs. people were not going to have daycare center because of the damage he did with sequestration. if that had not happened we could have put the money in.

>> you said you had a $4 billion surplus. how does that make sense? >> because we paid down debt. >> by the way just so you know the squegs bill -- sequestration bill, what president signed it into law, a republican president? >> gentlemen, let me go to the next -- >> 94 democrats -- >> gentlemen -- >> let me give you this -- you're running against me. compare my record to your record. >> have you asked israel? >> why don't you talk about why you voted for them? you heard the people in your district. look a the damage you did. >> there was no damage. >> yes you did do damage. why don't you go to some of these head start programs? >> you don't know what you're talking about. >> i do. >> the affordable care act -- >> now we're switching. >> when sequestration was in the very following year we changed it and took a lot of those cuts back. again, the sequestration was

asked for by the president, signed into law by the president, and voted on by 94 democrats. it was extremely bipartisan. >> i'm aware. i was in washington. mr. recchia, if you were to be you would be working with president obama at least the next two years. where do you agree and disagree? >> the president and i don't agree on all the issues. i don't agree on common core. all right? i am not in favor of common core. thank that -- think that is something that is status driven. it wasn't rolled out the right way. it's a problem. i think when we want to help school districts across this country it shouldn't be tied to any curriculum or what you should do. the president and i are not always going to agree on everything but i will stand up to the president and for the best interests of the people in my district and i will stand up to the republicans and democrats.

i know how to work republicans and democrats to get things done. the affordable care act was passed and we have to help people. that is something we have to work on. i want to go to congress and correct the affordable care act. there are things that the president and i do agree on. we want to pass a jobs bill, a gun bill. do something with the gun violence in this country. >> any response? >> the only thing i agree with my opponent today is common core. it needs to be scrapped and we can start over. as far as obama care or the affordable care act it is crippling our health care system and stifling our economy. it is a disaster on the backs of seniors, $716 billion in cuts. >> that is not true. >> this is my time, dominic. please. be respectful. i think more and more doctors, more patients are being dropped from their policies. that is one area i disagree with the president.

foreign policy without saying he has had no foreign policy >> okay. >> i got to stop you because we're out of time. we are at the point where you each get a closing statement, limited to one minute. we start with you, mr. recchia. >> thank you for having us here today. i am running for congress because this district has not been represented by someone that they can be proud of. we are represented by someone who has been under criminal indictment pending, 20 counts. in addition to that he threatened to throw a reporter off the balcony. we deserve better and i'm that person. i want to go to washington to fight for every person in my district, fight on transportation. fight to get funding for a light rail to make transportation improvements, lower tolls. i want to go to washington and get a jobs bill passed, raise the minimum wage and get funding for the things we need for our schools and middle schools from child care up to college and address college affordability. in addition we have to stick up for women. i want to fight for women to

make sure they get paid just as much as men when they do their jobs. i have three daughters. i am married to a public school teacher. please vote for me november 4th as your next congressman. >> mr. grimm? >> thank you very much for having me. i appreciate it. i think that in my district people know i am accessible and there when they need me. they also know my heart. they know when i was 19 years old i enlisted in the marine corps because i love this country. later i gave up a career on wall street to become a special agent of the fbi and put my life in danger working undercover for many years. as a congressman i continued my service. i've been in service most of my adult life. if you look at my results from day one i passed the legislation that was important but more importantly my constituents services. i am very proud my constituents know me and know i moved mountains most of my time in

congress. even when congress couldn't zpwet anything done i was able to produce landmark legislation and keep people in their homes. i am very proud of my record and the people i represent. thank you very much. >> the first televised debate in the race for new york's congressional district. we thank the candidates, republican michael grimm and democrat dominic recchia for taking part in this very lively discussion. i'm diana william. don't forget to vote. it's your right and privilege. >> c-span's coverage of campaign 2014 includes coverage of more than 100 debates for the control of congress. stay in touch on top of the debates. follow us on twitter and join the conversation at facebook.com/c-span. >> here are a few the comments we received on our campaign 2014 debate coverage. >> i listened to the debate, and it was 4,

between carl demyo and representative scott peters. and it is just politics as usual. what we really need is for the politicians to quit making decisions based on power, money, and votes, and start working together at a higher level seeking the best decisions for the american people. when there is any type of political event, both republicans and democrats and any other party that wants to get involved should organize it. should start from the get-go learning to work together and at this event show their constituents and the american people that they can literally work together, reason together,

at a higher level, and on all the issues that americans are concerned about, and get the best decisions by reasoning together instead of it being based on power and money and votes. we win and you lose. >> i'm calling to say thank you for airing the debates. i just watched the vermont governor's debate. and when i first saw there were seven candidates on the stage, i thought it was going to be a circus, but i'm glad i got over that and i watched. i was really impressed with some of the ideas that some of the candidates, the suggestions that they made particularly the gentleman who said that an educated work force is to the benefit of our country. so we should be paying students to go to school, not charging them and putting them in debt for going to school.

i really like the woman candidate who reminded us that jeffords, senator jeffords would refuse to debate to attend any debate that didn't include everybody that was on the ballot. it's time americans realize that we don't have to choose etween a democan and republic-crat. there are more than a hundred political parties in this country and it is time we start looking at some of the others. thanks c-span for airing these debates. >> and continue to let us know what you think about the programs you're watching. call us at 202-626-3400. e-mail us at comments@c-span.org or send us a tweet at c-span # comments. join the c-span conversation. like us on facebook. ollow us on twitter. the 2015 c-span student cam video competition is under way. open to all middle and high school students to create a

five to seven-minute documentary on the theme, the three branches and you. showing policy, law, or action by the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the federal government has affected you or your community. there's 200 cash prizes for students and teachers totaling $100,000. for a list of rules and how to get started go to student cam.org. nina pham the dallas nurse diagnosed with ebola was released from the h.i.h. clinical center in bethesda, maryland today and spoke briefly to reporters about her experience. we also hear from n.i.h. allergy and infectious diseases director anthony fauci. this is 15 minutes. >> i will come and answer a few questions for you and then we'll get nina to go back home to texas to resume a normal, healthy, and happy life. nina? applause]

>> good afternoon. i feel fortunate and blessed to be standing here today. i'd first and foremost like to thank god, my family, and friends. throughout this ordeal i have put my trust in god and my medical team. i am on my way back to recovery even as i reflect on how many others have not been so fortunate. of course i am so incredibly thankful for everyone involved in my care from the moment i became ill and was admitted to texas health presbyterian hospital dallas. up to today my discharge from the pinnacle research center of n.i.h. i would especially like to thank dr. kent brantley for his selfless acts of donating plasma to me. as a nurse, i have a special appreciation for the care i've received from so many people.

not just doctors and nurses, but the entire support team. i believe in the power of prayer because i know so many people all over the world have been praying for me. i do not know how i can ever thank you everyone enough for their prayers and their expressions of concern, hope, and love. i join you in prayer now for the recovery of others, including my colleague and friend amber vinson and dr. craig spencer. i hope that people understand that this illness and this whole experience has been very stressful and challenging for me and for my family. although i no longer have ebola, i know that it may be a while before i have my strength back. so with gratitude and respect for everyone's concerns i ask for my privacy and my family's privacy to be respected as i return to texas and try to get back to a normal life and reunite with my dog, bentley. thank you, everyone.

[ applause] >> thank you very much. before i open up for questions, i want to recognize two people who really helped us in linking with nina and getting to know her as essentially a member of our family here at n.i.h. that is nina's mother diana and er sister kathy. >> questions >> how do you know she is virus free? what did you do for her while she was here at n.i.h.? >> well, we know she is virus free because we now have five negative, consecutive negative p.c.r.'s on her. i don't want anyone to take from that that is the norm and the standard that you could

only guarantee someone's virus free if you do five. we did five because this is the research institution. that is not the norm. we provided her supportive care and that is something i've been saying all along that one of the most important things in bringing back an ebola patient to health is give them the kind of general medical support to allow their own body to fight off the virus and essentially et rid of the virus. [ question inaudible] >> i would leave that up to her but it's not for me to answer right now. >> should americans or others returning from the ebola zone be forced into a more strict or mandatory quarantine? >> that is something that is right now under very active discussion and you'll be earing shortly about it. , about what the guidelines will be. i want to point out it isn't just the c.d.c. and the federal

government but the states have an awful lot to say about what happens when people come in. you'll be hearing more about hat. [ question inaudible] >> i think i can repeat what we've been saying all the time. the way you get ebola is by direct contact with the body fluid of an ill individual. and if you don't have that, you do not have to worry about ebola. i think that's important to point out that you must separate the issue of the risk to a general public with the risk with brave people like nina and her colleagues. they're two different things. nina put herself in a situation where she knew it was a risk but because of her character and her bravery and that of her colleagues in the field, she happened to, unfortunately, get infected. that is a different story from the general public. she was with a very sick

person. >> what have you learned by treating nina pham? what have you learned? what experimental drugs if any did you use and what can you teach other doctors such as dr. spencer in helping him recover? >> well, first of all, we did not administer to nina any experimental drugs while she was here under our care. we followed her. we have a considerable amount of laboratory data. remember this is only one patient. we are in contact and discussion with our colleagues at emory and at nebraska. we continually compare notes back and forth. and i think it's important for people to understand that there is a public health issue and there is the scientific issue of understanding what's going on that is essentially what we do here. primarily it's the care of the patient, first. but together with that is to learn information that might help others. now, that's easy to do when you have a whole bunch of people that you could collect data on.

but what you have -- when you have one or two or three you have to focus very much and try to get enough information where gradually we'll be able to say things that will help others who are taking care of patients. that's the reason why we may have done different kinds of lab tests or more of them. that doesn't mean that everybody has to do that but we're trying to learn from that. >> why has it taken so long to get an ebola vaccine? there are reports today there was one ready for human testing a decade ago. >> there's a lot of reasons why when you say to get a vaccine you have to make sure you separate that from the vaccine candidate. because if you're saying the vaccine is something you could distribute, first of all, since ebola is a disease, that has outbreaks and then disappears, it is very difficult to be able to prove something except in the setting of disease, which we are actually trying very hard to do right now when we go from the phase one study when we show it's safe and that it induces a response you could

predict would be protected. we are planning a larger efficacy trial that is ra randomized controlled trial to be able to do that as well as some other design. now in direct answer to your question, you might recall that we started on this ten years ago and we've done different iterations of improvements. one must appreciate that the incentive for a pharmaceutical company to get involved in putting a major investment to develop a vaccine for a disease that up until this outbreak has less than 2500 people infected, we did not have the kind of incentivization on the part of industry. we certainly have that now. so it was not essentially a scientific obstacle and it was not an obstacle of wanting to have one. it was the ability to actually bring all the cards together to get that. i don't, first of all, the funding is a very complicated

issue. i think we should put it off the table because we are talking about what we're doing right now and we are on the way in the sense of we have the capability and the resources to do the trial that hopefully will start in the beginning of 2015. >> did anything point -- [ question inaudible] >> you know, i don't want to make an absolute statement on that because remember she was taken care of by very good people in two separate hospitals. when she was in texas presbyterian she was in the process of doing better. she came to us and did better and better. we both supported her. i can't pinpoint in one patient what was the turning point. the one thing we're happy about is the turning point occurred.

that is conceivable but you can't heard that. the question was if the plasma transfusion from dr. kent bradley -- certainly that could be the case but remember when you have so many separate factors, at the same time, going into the care of a patient, and the -- it is virtually impossible to say this is the thing that did it and this is the thing that didn't do it. it goes impossible to do. i'm not trying to evade it. that's the reason why you want to do clinical studies where you can actually get that information so that the next time we have an outbreak or maybe even during this outbreak we can say, this is the recommendation because we know it works. at this point, everything is experimental. that's what we're trying to do is take the experimental and make it evidence. >> nina, we are so happy you're well. congratulations. i want to ask specifically about the w.h.o. reports about

70% of those with ebola in west africa die because of the virus. what explains the speedy recovery of someone like nina pham and amber vinson the other nurse? >> again, i wish i could give you the answer to that question. but we don't know. i can tell you the things as a physician, what goes into a patient getting better. it is anything from she's young and very healthy, number one, number two, she got into a health care system that was able to give her intensive care early. number two, she was then transferred to another health care system which was able to give her everything that she needed. that's the one of the reasons that almost common sense tells you that that contributed. how can you relate that to 70% versus this percent? it's impossible. >> dr. fauci, what is nina's prognosis, a hundred percent she is cured? any long lasting effects? >> well, first of all, when, she is cured of ebola.

let's get that clear. okay? that's for sure. now, long lasting effects? when you have -- i'll give you an example. a few years ago i had bad influenza. and influenza is trivial compared to ebola. even though i got back up and went to work, i was feeling tired and worn down so i wouldn't be surprised if over a period of time anyone who has had the experience of recovering from ebola would take time to get their full strength back. she will. whether she gets it back next week or two weeks i don't know. that's her. and she's such an incredible lady she is going to do it quickly. >> along those lines, are there any restrictions right now on nina's travel, where she can go, who she can talk to, who she can see? and how does she travel back to dallas? will this be a private charter? >> i would have to leave that confidential right now.

because that is something personal and private. don't want to have hordes on her. she asked for her privacy. we'll give her her privacy. >> can you talk a little about the communication with nina's family throughout this process? was she allowed to talk to them and how closely did you relate information about her condition to them as this unfolded? >> we have a system in there that is easy to communicate. you know, we, the family talked by phone, by face time, and things like that. so when i'm not going in the room, i'm just coming by to say hello she taught me how to use face time. one more and then we have to get her off and home >> as a public health care professional how confident you that hospitals are getting the procedure so other health care workers won't end up like nina?

>> as you probably have noticed there is a very strong, aggressive, educational effort going on that is led by the federal government, the c.d.c. . aying a major role in that we're doing telecoms, a variety of things trying to educate more people and also make sure we have people trained, retrained, practiced, people who have the capability of recognizing, identifying, and isolating. all of that is really getting scaled up. thank you all very much. e appreciate you being here. >> are you going to miss nina? >> i'm going to miss nina a lot. i gave her my cell phone number just in case i get lonely. >> we love you, nina. [ applause] cheering]

>> with the 2014 mid-term election just over a week away, c-span's campaign debate coverage continues. monday at 7:00 p.m. eastern the illinois senate debate with senator dick durbin and jim observer wise followed at 8:00 with live coverage of the massachusetts governor's debate between charlie baker and martha coakley. then at 9:00 the georgia senate debate between david purdue, michelle nunn and amanda swaffered. at 10:00 the minnesota senate debate with senator al franken and mike mcfadden. at 11:00 p.m. eastern the hawaii governor's debate between david ige and duke aiona. tuesday at 7:00 p.m. eastern live coverage of the south carolina senate debate between three candidates, senator tim scott, joyce dickerson, and jill bossi followed at 8:00 by the new jersey senate debate with senator cory booker and jeff bell. wednesday night at 8:00 live coverage of the louisiana senate debate between three candidates, senator mary landrieu, representative bill cassidy, and rob maneses.

at 9:00 the main senate debate with senator susan collins and shana bell obse. then at 10:00 the texas senate debate between senator john cornyn and david alameel. more than 100 debates for the control of congress. c-span campaign 2014. today federal officials discussed their efforts to address the ebola outbreak at a hearing of the house oversight committee. they described changes to protocols for hospitals and public health workers. this hearing came as a doctor who returned from west africa was diagnosed with the disease in new york city. he is the fourth person in the united states to have the illness. this four-hour hearing is chaired by california ongressman darrell issa.

>> ladies and gentlemen, before i gavel this to start, i think you already heard. please put your cell phones either off or preferably on airplane mode. you're certainly welcome to take pictures as long as you don't stand up or in any other way block other people. we have a large panel today. members have flown in from all over the country to hear these people and ask questions so the only thing i ask is that, please, give them all the opportunity to do that. applause, this is the one place applause is not appreciated. we have a 9% approval rating. you need not applaud for us. [ laughter] and with that -- [ gavel sounds] the committee will come to order. without objection the chair is authorized to declare a recess of the committee at any time. the oversight committee exists

to secure two fundamental principles. first, americans have a right to know that the money washington takes from them is well spent. and second, americans deserve an efficient, effective government that works for them. our duty on the oversight and government reform committee is to protect these rights. it is our solemn responsibility to hold government accountable o the taxpayers. taxpayers want to be safe. taxpayers want to know that our government is prepared. in this case, we leave no stone unturned in ensuring today that america is planning for tomorrow. beginning in march, 2014, in the west african nation of guyana the world first learned about yet another new outbreak of the ebola virus. due to poor detection, it is possible the outbreak started

late last year. by august, ebola had spread to sierra leone, liberia, and nigeria. according to the u.s. center for disease control and prevention, the 2014 ebola epidemic is the largest in history and, sadly, the virus has claimed at least 4,000 lives today. by the end of september the c.d.c. confirmed the diagnosis of the first travel associated case of ebola in the united states. the situation is rapidly developing and changing and americans are understandably worried. worried about their government's response to the outbreak and in particular the steps we are taking to contain the spread of ebola. with the high fatality rates as much as 70%, and no f.d.a. approved vaccines or medicines, ebola is a serious threat to public health around the world. an outbreak in american city or

any major city of the world could be very costly to contain and could have major economic impacts. yesterday's news was a doctor in new york city tested positive for ebola. and this is particularly distressing. there is certainly some good news to report on our effort to contain the outbreak. no new ebola cases have been reported in nigeria in 46 days. over 40 people who came into contact with the ebola patient thomas eric duncan in dallas have now gone through the 21-day monitoring period without demonstrating any symptoms. perhaps that means that our preventative systems of those in contact is good, even though as we will see today not perfect. we have the world's most advanced health care system undeniabley in america. we spend the most money to have

that system. and as long as -- sorry. as long as our response is well coordinated and officials use common sense, there is an ability to contain this disease. but we're not out of the woods yet. today we will examine efforts to coordinate federal agencies tasked with responding to ebola outbreak. this examination follows a series of statements and actions that have eroded public confidence in our response. an infected traveler from liberia made it through the department of homeland security screening and arrived at international travelers and into the dallas/ft. worth area. when the same individual exhibited clear skines of ebola, symptoms of ebola, a hospital turned him back into the community and offered an evolving account of how this happened. without evidence, the director

of the c.d.c. declared that a nurse at this hospital who became infected with ebola must have contracted it through, i quote, a breach of protocol. medicine is not done over the telephone. it is not done over the television. medicine is in fact the business of looking at a patient, evaluating a patient, measuring a patient, and questioning a patient. not in fact guessing how someone became a patient. a separate nurse who contracted ebola at that hospital was cleared by the c.d.c. to board a commercial airline flight even though she reported having fever and contact with the patient mr. duncan. the news of that medical doctor returning from guyana, the news that a medical doctor returning from guyana now has tested

positive for ebola has raised even more questions about procedures in treating patients and risks to americans responding with great courage and generosity from here we need to know why there've been breakdowns and if our system for responding to such serious crisis is working properly. i think we all know the system is not yet refined to where we can say that it is working properly. how effective are the efforts at containing the disease in west africa? are the training and equipment that the front-line health-care workers and military personnel received in the past or future adequate? is an airport screening that went into effect weeks ago reliable? are government agencies doing

everything they can do to foster the development of ebola treatments? what threat does ebola posed to international trade and americans traveling abroad? when a situation like this arises from the government is supposed to rely on prior planning and rapid effective response that can identify mistakes quickly and correct them. congress has recognized and considered the threat of an outbreak on a bipartisan basis. n outbreak on a bipartisan basis. it is despite the efforts to ensure protocols and funding in place to avoid the very mistakes but we've already seen. a president obama's appointment to serve as the ebola czar in my opinion sadly shows that the

administration has on the one hand recognized the missteps and on the other hand is not prepared to put a known leader in charge or in fact a medical professional in charge. that doesn't make it a political decision but it makes it a decision in which we have to ask and we will ask today is their interagency coordination in place and simply overseeing it or in fact are we expecting mr. claimed to put together interagency coordination to show the leadership to make it happen to sift through the conflicting claims of science and medicine that have already reached conclusions versus the reality that those conclusions at least in several cases have proven wrong. we did invite him to testify and

we are very disappointed that he wasn't able to but we understand that he's just started and we do not expect that would be repeated if there is a follow-up hearing. let me say in my role in this committee and others i've traveled to the world health organization's headquarters. i have seen them say to us as visitors to depend it makes our already are already planned for and although they talk about the inevitability of a pandemic we have invested billions of dollars to be prepared for them. let me say before anyone pulls the trigger on either apolitical or denouncing medicine that in fact this is not a new problem. nearly 100 years ago in 1819 the influenza pandemic known as the spanish flu claimed at least

20 million people -- think you -- around the world. and that's pandemic and american base one that i was stationed at proved to be the source of the first known outbreak. it spread fast around the base and other pieces and eventually worldwide. famously it's well aware that not only was the outbreak critical but in fact soldiers were put on the ships and sent out water recognizing that in fact we were adding to disease and the suffering. the slew of 57, 58 but originated in the far east spread it to the u.s. and caused at least 70,000 deaths. the flew of 68 and 69 also

spread and caused an estimated 34,000 deaths. it would be a major mistake to underestimate with ebola cards do to populations around the world and any further fumbles or missteps relying uncertainties told to us by people who cannot defend how that certainty came to be and when it fails to be correct how they could have been so wrong can no longer be tolerated. i look forward to hearing from this panel of witnesses in an effort not to solve a problem that should take the problem appropriately seriously and recognize what we don't know could kill us and with that i recognize the ranking member for his opening statement. >> thank you mr. chairman and i thank you again for holding this hearing. i think this is the reason we

have an oversight committee to address those problems that our nation and in this case the world face. yesterday working for borders tested positive for ebola still getting additional details based on information from new york and federal officials so far it appears healthcare authorities have come a long way preparing for ebola said thomas duncan walked into a texas hospital last month. new york had been preparing for this possibility for weeks. about 5,000 health care workers were drilled on the protocols and procedures just this past wednesday. a special team with full

protective gear transferred him to bellevue hospital which is specifically designated to handle ebola. they placed him directly into an isolation unit and began treating him as soon as possible and they started tracing his contacts immediately. as new york officials said last night they hoped they wouldn't have to face a ebola case that they did. they were also realistic and they worked diligently and professionally to prepare themselves for this day. but there are many questions about this case but we cannot assume that it will be the last and i would remind all of us this is our watch. of course we must continue to be vigilant and we need to

continually read evaluate our workers many of whom are here today and to those health-care workers, on behalf of a grateful congress and a grateful nation i think you for what you do everyday. i want to express our thanks to speed by then and and the amber vinson, the two nurses from texas who contracted ebola when they treated mr. duncan. by now we've all seen their pictures. two brave young women who risked their lives to simply do their jobs. just like nurses across the country every single day, 24/7, 365 days a year. i understand that ms. nina pham

and amber vinson have been upgraded and ms. amber vinson has been cleared of the virus. the new case should also demonstrate we can no longer ignore the crisis in west africa. we can no longer ignore it. nearly 10,000 people have died from this disease or they are battling it as we speak. many in the most gruesome conditions imaginable. i.e. the needs we have a fundamental and humanitarian obligation to address the crisis in africa. we are the richest nation in the world and we have the resources and expertise to make the biggest difference however for those that may not agree that we have an obligation to help they must understand addressing the

ebola crisis in africa is also in our self-interest as a nation. public health experts warn that we need to address this outbreak at the source in africa. the longer the outbreak continues the more likely it will spread to the rest of the world including more cases right here in the united states of america and we do not take strong action now. it would cost much more in the long run. health care experts know how to fight this disease. this week the world health organization declared them a free of ebola. this was achieved through a combination of early diagnosis,

contact tracing, infection control and safe burial but we still face great challenges in sierra leone, guinea and liberia. the public health infrastructure and new cases are increasing at an alarming rate. last month of the un security council unanimously adopted a resolution declaring a ebola outbreak as a threat to international peace and security the un established except for more than a dozen actions that provided a six-month budget request for $989 million. however there are hundreds of millions of dollars short. they need funding for treatment beds, training for healthcare

workers and supplies to prevent infection. they need resources for things as basic as food and vehicles and fuel. as the head of the united nations warned the security council just last week and i quote. we either stop ebola or face an entirely unprecedented situation which we do not have a plan. there've already been several hearings on how to prepare ourselves in the united states. the most significant concrete and destructive steps our nation can take to address this outbreak at its source. i am grateful to the international medical corps for being here today to provide his on the ground assessment with his group and others on the

front lines needed to stop the spread of ebola. i know you must feel empathy for mr. spencer who testified yesterday. i've asked my staff to place your testimony on the website as some of the best testimony explaining what is going on in africa and i think the public should have an opportunity to read all ten pages. mr. spencer was one of your compatriots battling ebola in west africa and i'm sure his situation is one that all of your healthcare workers must fear on a daily basis but the truth is doctor spencer and your group and many others are doing one of the only things that will truly ensure that the world will be free of ebola. we need to support you as much as we can and we must do it

forcefully and we have to convince the rest of the world to do the same. this is our watch. to my fellow committee members it is not a time for us to move to the common ground. we have no choice but to move to the high ground so with that i look forward to the testimony and i yield back. >> all members have seven days to separate opening statements and we go to the panel of what is his. the honorable michael is the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and our intensity conflict at that the united states department of defense. major general james is the deputy director of political military affairs in africa at the united states department of defense. the honorable john ross, sorry i

just got off a flight. the honorable john ross is the inspector for the united states department of homeland security. the honorable nicole laurie is the assistant secretary for preparedness response of the department of health and human services. ms. deborah burger is the copresident of the nurses united and the senior vice president of international operations at the international medical corps. ladies and gentlemen, pursuant to the rules of the committee would you won't rise and raise your right hand and take the oath. do you solemnly swear or affirm the testimony that you're about to give will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? please be seated. with the record reflect let the

record reflect all of this is answered in the affirmative. as you all can see we have a large panel and i know there will be many questions, so i would ask that you realized your entire opening statements will be in the record and that you limit your oral testimony and your opening to five minutes. with that, mr. lumpkin? 's picture of an isa, ranking member cummings and distinguished members of the committee thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning regarding the department department of defense roll in the united states comprehensive ebola response effort which are a national security priority and response to a global threat. due to the u.s. military's unique capabilities, the department has been called upon to provide interim solutions that will allow other departments and agencies the time necessary to expand and deploy their own capabilities. the u.s. military efforts may also galvanize more robust and

coordinate international efforts which is essential to contain this threat and to reduce human suffering. before addressing the specific elements of the dod ebola response efforts, i would like to share my observations of the crisis and our increasing response to. after visiting liberia -- which i returned several weeks ago -- i was left with a number of overarching impressions that are shaping the department's role supporting usaid. first, our government has deployed a top-notch team of experienced in dealing with disasters and humanitarian assistance. second, the liberian government is doing what it can with its very limited resources. third, the international response is increasing regional league due to our government's response efforts. fourth, i traveled to the region thinking we face a health care

crisis with a logistics challenge and in reality, what i found is that we face a logistics crisis focused on a healthcare challenge. fifth, speed and a scaled response matter for incremental response will be outpaced by the rapidly growing epidemic. finally, the ebola epidemic we face is truly a national security issue. absent or governments coordinated response in west africa the flavor is increasing spread brings the risk of more cases here in the united states. now i would like to turn to the dod's role in the overall whole of government response in west africa. in mid-september, president obama ordered the department to undertake military operations in west africa and direct support of usaid. secretary hagel directed that forces undertake a twofold

mission. first come first, support usaid and the overall u.s. government efforts and second, responded to the department of state requests for security or evacuation assistance if required. direct patient care of ebola exposed patients in west africa is not part of the duty's mission. secretary hagel approved the efforts fallen under the lines of the first command and control, logistics support, engineering support and training. in the last six weeks, dod has undertaken a number of synchronized activities in support of these lines and efforts to include designating and named operations united assistance. establishing the intermediate staging base and to carve senegal with strategical tactical airlift. constructing a 25 bed hospital in monrovia and constructing up

to 17 ebola treatment units also known as etu in liberia and preparing to train local and third country health care support personnel and able thing to make a -- enabling them to respond to these treatments throughout liberia. i would like to reiterate that the u.s. personnel on to provide direct care to the patients in west africa. in addition to the activities of operation united assistance, the department continues to enduring programs in the region. operation onward liberty, partners with armed forces of liberia to improve their professionalism and capabilities, and we are expanding the regional efforts of the departments cooperated biological enhancement program. to provide a robust enhancements to biosafety from a bio security and bayou surveillance systems in west africa. and all of the circumstances the

protection of the personnel and the prevention of any additional transmission of the disease remains paramount planning factors. there is no higher operational priority than protecting our department of defense personnel. in conclusion, we have a comprehensive u.s. government response and increasingly toward native international response. the department of defense interim measures are an essential element of the u.s. response to lay the necessary groundwork for the international community to mobilize its response capabilities. now is the time to devote appropriate u.s. resources necessary to contain the threat and to establish the process for better future response. with that, i would like to introduce my colleague from the joint staff major general lariviere. we are ready to answer your questions and appreciate the opportunity to be here. >> i understand you do not have a separate opening statement.

>> i do not place and ready to answer any questions. >> thank you. mr. roth. >> good morning, chairman, ranking member cummings and numbers of the committee for inviting me to testify about the dhs damage when the pandemic suffice to make a surprise. we must have the ability to continue operations in the event of a pandemic. in 2006, congress appropriated $47 million in supplemental funding to the vhs for them to plan, train and prepare for potential pandemics. we were recently conducted an audit of those efforts focusing on the department's preparation to continue operations in achieving its mission should a pandemic occur. the report of the audit is attached in my written testimony that i've submitted testimony. in short, our audit concluded that the dhs is managed the program in three ways. first, we found the dhs did not adequately conduct a needs assessment before purchasing

protective equipment and antiviral drugs. as a result, we could not determine the basis for the dhs's decisions regarding how much or what types of the pandemic supplies to purchase, store or distribute. as a result, dhs may have too much of some equipment and too little of others. for example, we found that he just has a stockpile of about 350,000 white coverall suits and 16 million surgical masks. that hasn't but hasn't been able to demonstrate how either fits into their pandemic prepared his plans. it has a significant quantity of antiviral drugs but again, without a full understanding of the department's needs in the event of a pandemic, we have no assurance that the quantity of drugs will be appropriate. second, the dhs purchased much of the equipment and drugs without thinking through how these supplies would need to be replaced. material dhs has purchased has a

finite shelf life. for example, the tha stock includes about 200,000 respirators that are beyond the five-year usability data guaranteed by the manufacturer. in fact the department believes the entire stockpile of personal protective equipment will not be usable after 2015. likewise, the antiviral drugs that dhs purchased are nearing the end of their effect of wife. the dhs is attempting to extend the shelf life through an fda testing program, but the results of that are not guaranteed. a third, dhs did not manage it in the degree of drugs or equipment. as a result, the dhs didn't know how much protective equipment and drugs it had on hand or where it was being stored. drugs and equipment have gone missing and conversely the audit has found the drugs in the dhs inventory that the department thought had been destroyed.

we visited multiple sites and found drugs that were not being stored in a temperature controlled environment. because dhs cannot be assured they were properly stored they are in the process of recalling a significant quantity because they may not be safe or effective. we made in such insipid recommendations in the dhs has conquered with all of them. the department is taking action to implement the remaining ten wreck of the nations. we will continue to keep the committee informed about the department's progress. mr. chairman and that concludes my statement and i welcome any questions. >> doctor lurie. >> distinguished members of the committee, i am doctor nicole lurie, the assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the u.s. department of health and human services. i'm also a primary care dr.. i appreciate the opportunity to

talk with you today about the steps that hhs and others have taken since the ebola outbreak began in west africa. we are working 24/7 and sure that we can prevent and curtail the spread of the disease here at home. thanks to the foresight of the congress, the leadership of this and prior administrations, the dedicated work of the hhs, whole of government approach that we are taking we are better positioned than ever to respond to ebola and a range of other threats that may affect this country. i served as the assistant secretary and as the principal principal adviser advisor to the secretary on all matters related to health and preparedness for emergencies. since the confirmation in 2009, we worked hard to ensure we have the tools necessary to prepare for and respond to any disaster with public health consequences. i bled on modernization of the countermeasure enterprise,

created new opportunities for the coordination among state and local public health and health care systems and strengthened our ability to make better decisions before during and after an emergency. our approach allows us to be flexible, nimble and response to the known and unknown threats. as you know, for cases of ebola have been detected in the united states and our hearts go out to the family of mr. duncan and the nurses that have been affected as well as the physician in new york. we are pleased the nurses are doing so well and we wish them a sufficient and speedy recovery. we are extremely serious in our focus on protecting america's welfare security and the best way to do that is to end the epidemic in west africa. at the same time we are expediting the countermeasures and preparing our system to deal with any potential cases in this country. so not long after this epidemic began i convened that federal

stakeholders see what can be accomplished as quickly as possible. thanks to past investments we have leveraged the assets to urgently speed the development and testing of the vaccines and therapeutics for ebola. these advances allow us to create ebola countermeasures in record time so we have products to use as soon as we have the national proof of efficacy. our strategic investments in the infrastructure including the centers for innovation and manufacturing established in 2012 and newly established manufacturing networks would be used to get vaccines and therapeutic vials. we are also leveraging our relationship in the street and the public-private sector per us to scale up the vaccine manufacturing. in addition to public health care system must be prepared to deliver safe. a moments notice. investments in the hospital preparedness program into the

public health preparedness program have meant program have meant the program have meant the health care systems and state and local public health departments are prepared to respond to public health emergencies. since the epidemic began we've been using these programs to educate systems, stakeholders and through capacities in place. we've launched a very aggressive national outreach education program to promote a safe and effective detection of ebola patients. the system we now have in place is based on changes and lessons learned including those come from to as the assistant secretary. based on the first u.s. u.s. cases committee hhs has already made adjustments to minimize the spread of ebola. these include tightened guidance for the use of protective equipment and expanding aggressive national education campaign for healthcare workers and screaming and active monitoring of passengers entering the united states now funneled through five airports. we've been working

collaboratively including the transport contaminated waste in the department of transportation. medical evacuation, deployment of military personnel and workers and workplace safety with osha. members of the committee i understand why you and your constituents are concerned. we take domestic prepared this very seriously. our top priority is protecting the health of americans. i can assure you my team, the department and our partners have been working and continue to work long hours to prepare the nation for threats like this. with lessons learned from this new challenge we are making efficient use of the investments provided and we have made tangible and meaningful progress since you first created this office in 2006. as a result, hhs has been able to provide support to the states and communities and i thank you again for the opportunity to address these issues and welcome

your questions. >> ms. burger. >> members of the committee, i am deborah burger, copresident of the national nurses united representing 190,000 members in the largest organization of nurses in the united states. the ebola pandemic and the exposure that healthcare workers and the real threat that it could occur elsewhere in the u.s. represents a here and present danger. every rn that works in the health care facility could be seen by men or amber vinson who contracted ebola while treating thomas eric duncan at texas presbyterian hospital in dallas. one patient is diagnosed and dead in this country, to nurses infected so far.

in our survey of over 3,000 verses from over 1,000 hospitals in every state, dc and the virgin islands reveals 85% of the nurses say they are not adequately trained and the level of preparation for ebola in our facilities is insufficient. 58% of our rns still say their hospital is not communicated any policy for admission of a potential ebola patients. 84% still say their hospitals have not provided a ebola education with the opportunity to interact and ask questions. 44% say their hospitals lack insufficient supplies of eye protection. 46% say they are insufficient supplies of fluid resistant impermeable downs of their hospital. 41% say their hospitals do not have plans to equip isolation rooms. initially there were a nurses

but interacted borghese gowns and gloves with no taping around the wrists, surgical masks with the action of m. 95 and face shields leaving their neck exposed. two of them became infected. this is what happens when guidelines are inefficient and voluntary. the new cdc guidelines of protective equipment leave no skin exposed as a direct testament to the courage of dallas whistleblower rhianna who first spoke to us. we've called on president obama to evoke his executive authority and urge the congress legislatively to mandate uniform optimal national standards. these include full body hazmat suits that meet the f-16 70 standard for ebola penetration and be and the astm 1671

standard for viral penetration which leaves no skin exposed or unprotected. approved air power to purify the respirators with a factor of at least 50 or higher standard as appropriate. at least two direct care rns for each ebola patient and the additional and no additional patient care assignment. continuous on-site interactive hands-on teaching with the rns and updates responsive to the changing nature of the disease. the precautionary principle must be utilized when developing public health policy designed to protect patients, the public, nurses and all healthcare workers who may be exposed to potentially infectious patients. lest we forget the risk of exposure to the population at large starts with the front-line caregivers. it does not end there.

as we have seen with school closures in ohio and texas and the quarantine of airline passengers come in proper protection and inadequate particles and hospitals can lead to public exposure. the response to ebola has been dangerously inconsistent and inadequate. the lack of mandates and shifting guidelines from agencies and reliance on voluntary compliance has left caregivers uncertain, unprepared and vulnerable to infection. our experience with u.s. hospitals is they will not act on their own to secure the highest standards of protection without a specific directive from our federal authorities by an act of congress or potential presidential executive order. the new cdc guidelines represent progress with improved standards for training as we've been demanding for months.

the cdc guidelines are still unclear on the most effective protective equipment specifically allowing hospitals to select protective equipment based on availability and other factors. we are the first line of defense. no nation would ever contemplate sending soldiers into the battlefield without armor and weapons. give us the tools we need. all we ask from president obama and congress is not one more infected nurse. thank you. mr. torbay? spinet on behalf of medical corps one of the few agencies to be treating ebola patients can't like to thank you for inviting me to testify today and for your leadership and convening this critically important hearing. we would also like to express our appreciation to the u.s. government for their pivotal action and generous support in

the response. our response to the ebola outbreak has been robust. by the end of november i anticipate we will have a total of about 800 staff in liberia and sierra leone and approximately 70 will be expatriates. the national medical corps has been in west africa since 1999. our ebola response happened in late june with community education and in sierra leone and late july and after we realized the epidemic reached out of control levels we deployed our emergency response teams to both sierra leone and liberia and decided to get involved in the treatment of the cases. when our emergency teams arrived in liberia in august what we found on the ground confirms urgent action was required. and in a few short months, four months from the ebola outbreak had brought the country's already fragile health care system to the brink of collapse.

many were dieting. most were afraid. previously busy hospitals were too frightened to go for the fear of being infected with the virus. the risk of infection others chimed life-saving vaccinations for their children and if their child became ill even seriously ill all too many believed the safer option was not seek treatment at all. with funding from usaid we opened our first seven b. bid to ebola treatment center in liberia and admitted our first patient on september 15. currently we have 53 beds occupied and staff of 17 ex- patriots and 161 liberian nationals. to date it remains one of just two in liberia operating outside of monrovia. in the next six weeks we expect to open three additional treatment units and two in the

northern province. within the next two weeks we expect to open a training center to train other staff on case management protocols. in this center that will be adjacent to the treatment unit we will offer a fast-paced training for those that will be involved in the treatment of the ebola patients. we will open a similar center in sierra leone in the future as well. such hands-on training is the key to protecting healthcare workers who must operate in an environment where all know the ebola presence. the guidelines are important for they must become but they must become with hands-on training to be truly effective. mr. chairman and i would like i would like to briefly share some of what we know works. this will help highlight several areas on what is needed to go forward. first and foremost we need to

contain the disease at its source. for that to happen we have seven factors that need to be in place. this includes having operational ebola treatment at the staff by well trained health professionals. a robust referral system between community care centers and ebola treatment units as well as between ebola treatment units themselves take advantage of available capacity in certain areas. limiting the spread of the virus in the community is essential to contain the plan. therefore focus on community sensitization including education, awareness and outreach are critical. finally, contact tracing and burial teams are critical to the transmission. i would like to conclude by offering some recommendations to the committee for consideration. more detailed recommendations can be found in the written testimony. first one of the most critical lessons learned from this response has been the importance of having the human resources

ready and prepared to address the outbreak of infectious disease. the healthcare workers need to be well trained and supported to staff the treatment units start the treatment units and care center than the effect of countries as well as to prepare other countries in the region for any potential future outbreaks. second, ensure the availability of the appropriate protective equipment. third, ensure clear particles for evacuating healthcare workers. this is essential for the recruitment, training and maintaining of health staff in the sierra leone and liberia. open airspace to and for the countries must be maintained. the growing restrictions on travel to and from west africa fully isolate countries further compromise the supply-chain and inhibit efforts to greek group qualified staff. these factors will further enable the outbreaks to continue. fifth, fifth company to accelerate and, we need to accelerate and supports the

production into vaccines and technologies. finally and the developing and implementing recovery efforts and a long-term strategy we must focus on building stronger health care systems in the region. mr. chairman and there is no doubt that we will stop this outbreak and if done correctly build the tools to prevent another outbreak of such proportions. international medical corps looks forward to working with you to make this happen. once again thank you mr. chairman and ranking member cummings for allowing me to present this testimony and i would be glad to answer any questions or comments you might have. >> i would like to think all of the witnesses. i'm going to withhold my questioning at the time and with mr. turner go first. the gentleman from ohio is was recognized. >> i appreciate that. i'm under a time constraint having to return back to my district and i appreciate the chairman during that. tuesday i had the opportunity to talk to secretary hagel about the ebola mission and i believe

he takes this very serious and he's very concerned about about the effect on our men and women in uniform and also on the effects of protecting the american public. i am very concerned about the protocols of protecting the american public into since i only get one question my question is going to be about that although i am also very concerned as the american public about the protection of our men and women in uniform. i'm very skeptical of the dod protocols and i think the american public is skeptical. we have two threads, one of ebola coming here or number to come individuals that have been exposed to ebola falling ill. we've had four cases, two of them came here, too are the two are the result of people being exposed and then falling ill. three were healthcare providers. the american public is very concerned that individuals have been exposed to the ebola virus have had a significant public access after being exposed. this is during the period while they were falling ill to ebola.

on october 10 ebola came to visit ohio. amber vinson traveled from dallas texas to cleveland while she was in cleveland she was at local businesses and of course she flew on a flight almost 300 people had contact with her while she was falling ill to ebola. fortunately ohio doesn't have a report at this time but on october 20, the ohio delegation on a bipartisan basis sent a letter to the cdc challenging their particles with respect to people who have been known to have been exposed to ebola. we all know the stories, trying on wedding dresses, flying, going on a cruise, bowling, riding on the subway. although some of these issues are personal responsibility they do go to the issue of protocols and if you look at the october 10 department of defense guidelines in paragraph number four it says a commander has authority which means they may

come a day don't have to quarantine someone up to ten days if they are concerned about an individual who's been exposed. we know the doctor in new york fell apparently after he was in days and then it goes on to say no known exposure and that doesn't mean they were not know no exposure that there's a 21 day monitoring period but it suggests that the individuals return to routine daily activities. those routine daily activities would include going on cruises, flying, wearing wedding dresses, bowling and riding on the subway so i'm very concerned as the american public is that the multiplier effect of the contacts that could occur in the public and as we are learning as we've looked at in light of what has happened i deleted both of the cdc rules and the dod guidance should be revised. in light of what we now know and we are seeing in the concerns of the multiplier effect the three healthcare providers that have significant public contact while

falling ill to the ebola virus do you believe that this october 10 guidance should be advised and mr. lumpkin i would like your answer, too. >> the first thing i would say is as i mentioned in my opening statement we at the dod are not doing direct patient care so our operations in support of usaid are focused on those lines of effort if the command and control, the logistics -- >> but that doesn't mean that no one is going to be exposed to the virus. >> i understand what you're saying about the health care providers and non- healthcare providers but the gentleman that flew here first, patient number one wasn't a healthcare provider either. >> very true but because we have different categories of risk and i would like to turn over to my joint staff colleague here to explain the risk categories and the mitigation strategies.

>> thank you for the question. the protocols we've put in place c. the cdc standard as you mentioned. we will be testing personnel twice a day while they are deployed, take their temperature and to insure that if they were exposed and could become infected we could isolate them effectively. the zero to ten day timeline that you discussed is the timeline that will take place in country and commanders have the authority to remove the personal -- >> but as we already know from the doctor in new york he indicated the news reports are correct but his symptoms occurred at 11 days so ten days too short. >> 21 days can't start until out of the affected areas to the 21 day monitoring period will take place -- >> which means they could be traveling which would be an

additional exposure. >> we will try to limit their exposure prior to their departure but the one 21 day timeline won't start until they're back in the united states. >> i highly skeptical into the public is worried and i believe these need to be revised. the delegation said they believe it needs to be revised. the american public is concerned people that are exposed are having too much contact in the public and raising the risk to the united states citizens. thank you mr. chairman. >> generally just want to make sure as the ranking member that you're clear in what you're saying and in what mr. turner was asking if someone like the doctor in new york that tested positive is in fact held for ten days, needs on a commercial airplane, one of your sergeants leads on an airplane, arrives in new york and on the 11th or 12 day goes positive, your ten days will have done nothing and you

won't get the opportunity to have an outside in other words a quarantine of 21 days after you get back doesn't matter and i think that is what he was very much asking is the example he gave of a doctor from just yesterday tells i think all of us that ten days is not long enough if that person then travels on a commercial airplane where they can then infect the passengers. is that your question? >> correct. >> perhaps i'm not being clear. of the ten days is to attempt to limit the possibility for exposure while they are in country in liberia. they will then be screened for temperature and possible exposure prior to getting on a government contract or u.s. military contract to be returned to the united states. once they flew back to the united states he will be given 21 day monitoring period they will be required to come into the unit twice a day for medical

checks by u.s. military medical personnel at the unit where they will have their temperature taken and looked after by a medical professional to see how they are doing. i will take place for 21 days back in the area to ensure that they do not become infected. they will never be more than 12 hours from possibly spiking a fever. if they do exhibit symptoms into spiky fever once they are back in the united states throwing those checks they would be taken to a treatment facility and begin the isolation process. >> mr. cummings? >> mr. torbay i want you to comment on that in a minute. i'm curious you deal with this every day, but i want to go to some other things first. i know your organization is incredibly busy. but your input is very crucial. in addition to your detailed written statement, you provided

some pictures and i'm hoping you can explain what we are seeing. first i believe this picture is a ebola treatment center. can you describe what we are seeing here? >> of a ebola treatment unit is the isolation unit. what you see is the workers in yellow suits with a mask or a actually in the restricted area. no one is allowed to go in there without a full personal protection equipment and training. and outside they are taking notes that the supervisor to make sure that proper protocols are taking place as they are entering the treatment unit. >> in your testimony you said you need about 840 of these every week. you've also said, and i quote, the current demand for exceeds

the manufacturers for the overall sanity are producing at full capacity. you go on to say that in the current stage they will meet around 35% of the demand. is that right? >> that's correct. >> what can we do to provide more effective jeer? >> 840 for the hospital. that's the one ebola treatment unit, not for the entire operation. what we need to do is encourage the manufacturers to increase the supply line and make sure that anybody that has the capacity or has some of those in stock to release them because a lot of them are in stock in the areas that are not actually in endemic. >> let me go to another picture. in this picture there is a little truck in the background

and it has a flat board -- flathead. >> there is a lack of ambulances in liberia so we took a flatbed truck and put a mattress and covered it with a tarp and this is what we take to get patients from the community to the ebola treatment center. >> in your written statement you said, put simply, we need three things. people, commodities and money. buy commodities i mean everything from the ppe disinfectants to vehicle transportation, mattresses, bedding and clothing. so, is this what you're talking about in the additional vehicles to transport the patient asked to be co >> ambulances that code could go up to the centers and transfer patients to the ebola treatment unit for treatment. >> let me go to the next picture. this is not a picture that you provided for the hospital in

sierra leone there are people on the floor and there's fluid everywhere and they appear to be removing a dead body. can you please explain why is it so important to have a proper burial procedure? >> that the body is at its highest, this is when it is most contagious, so is important to have proper burial procedures. the way that we go about it is we sprayed him with disinfectant, chlorinated water, put them in a body bag and sprayed them again. we put them in a second body bag and a spray sprayed that again and a third body bag and sprayed them before we transfer them to the burial ground so it is extremely important that proper burial procedures are followed all the time. >> what more with more resources hope the process as you just described? >> we need more burial teams.

in the countries they are not enough. it's probably one third of the need. we need body bags and training for the burial teams as well as the vehicles for transportation. >> with the committee's indulgence i would like to play a short video clip showing how the final stage of the process is currently being handled. >> [inaudible]

[inaudible] >> thank you mr. chairman. right now there are a lot of people watching this hearing and many of them do not know the extent of the crisis in west africa. they do not know the reasons he of the need. you have a microphone in front of you an opportunity to reach millions of people this morning. if there is one thing you want to talk the american people, what would that be? >> thank you mr. cummings for giving me this opportunity. we need to deal with the virus at its source in west africa. steps can be taken to deal with this. we need to immediately increase treatment capacity by deploying and training proper health personnel. we need commodities as we

discussed and ambulances. we need financial resources. we need further containment of the community level as well. we need to contain it at that level. this is a global issue. it's not just a west africa issue. we need to work together as one team to tackle this and put an end to this outbreak. once we do so many to continue the investment in rebuilding the whole care system in west africa as well as preparedness and other countries. we need to make sure that this outbreak does not reoccur. the u.s. has and is playing a pivotal role. i am proud to say that the u.s. has led the way and continues to answer the call and other countries are following the lead. >> mr. turner asked a great question and the chairman tried to get some clarification of the military folks. what was your reaction -- we

have health care workers in healthcare workers in the back and the american people working to read what do you feel as an appropriate way to address this and should the american people be concerned? we have people going over to africa to help out. >> i would like to clarify one thing. there is no symptoms or does the transmission that's the first thing. unless the patient develops symptoms the patient cannot transmit the virus. so monitoring the temperature is critical because as long as the patient is asymptomatic, there is no risk of transmitting the disease. we follow the protocol very much in-line with in line with what the general said as well as with the cdc. there is no risk which means somebody that hasn't been exposed to the virus hasn't been in contact with someone with ebola. we take them on a commercial airline and monitor them for 21 days in twice a day we contact them to make sure it happens.

those people we do not allow them to actually travel. we ask them to stay out of the wrist area even in west africa for 21 days and actually they have no symptoms before we allow them back and high risk are people that have knowingly been exposed to the virus and those will be quarantined and monitored and the minute that there are sometimes they will be tested for ebola and admitted. ..

>> absolutely. the incubation period is to to 21 days. that is why it is important to a 21 days after the last known exposure to the virus. >> again, known exposure. that's correct. general, you are going to be operating some seven months. anyone who works in those labs takes materials out of those labs, has secondary exposure to review bell, liquids and so on. in fact, is in direct risk, aren't they? the testing labs, because we party had that in dallas is in fact a point of transmission. it is not just the i