WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. federal government will ask Congress for 6.18 billion dollars in additional funding to fight Ebola, dwarfing previous requests, according to a statement released by the White House Wednesday.
The administration will ask lawmakers to approve more than 4.64 billion dollars for the immediate response to the disease and ask for extra 1.54 billion dollars in contingency fund to make resources available if necessary, the statement said.
This is an opportunity for Congress and this Administration to continue the work together to provide the additional resources needed through appropriations efforts in order to be responsive to the resource needs on the ground and here at home, according to the statement.
The request, a giant jump from the money Congress has already approved, will send to the House for approval later Wednesday afternoon.
In September, lawmakers approved 88 million dollars in a stopgap funding bill that expires Dec. 11 for anti-Ebola efforts. Lawmakers also signed off on shifting 750 million dollars in Pentagon funds toward the Ebola response.
The focus on the Ebola epidemic in the United States has died down in the run-up to the midterm elections as some of the patients diagnosed with the killer disease recovered fully.
The U.S. has already deployed more than 2,000 U.S. military personnel to West Africa where the disease has killed nearly 5,000 people.
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