House transpo chief: Ebola travel limits ‘well short’ of needed ban

The chairman of the House Transportation Committee said Tuesday that a travel restriction from countries that are battling Ebola “stops well short” of the total flight ban he and most other congressional Republicans seek. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Tuesday that it would be requiring passengers flying to the U.S. from West Africa to land at one of five airports that have extra Ebola screening already in place, starting Wednesday. 

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) said that he was glad the Obama administration was moving away from its opposition to any sort of travel restriction, but the announcement did not go far enough. 

{mosads}“Happy to see some restrictions, but this stops well short of the temp travel ban @SenJohnThune and I are calling for,” Shuster tweeted. 

About 90 lawmakers have publicly said they support some form of an Ebola travel ban, according to a whip count that has been compiled by The Hill. 

Citing health officials, the White House has argued that a flight ban would not boost security from Ebola in the U.S. because there are few flights directly from the region to domestic airports. Most travelers from West Africa, including the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the U.S., Thomas Eric Duncan, have to pass through European airports to reach the U.S. 

The administration said Wednesday it would instead require passengers who are traveling from West Africa to take flights only to airports that have previously instituted special Ebola screenings: Washington Dulles International Airport, O’Hare International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.