CQ reports on efforts by the Pentagon to shift funding for the Ebola response and a call from a Senator for a U.S. Ebola point person.

CQ HealthBeat: Pentagon Now Seeking to Shift Much as $1 Billion to Ebola Response
“The Defense Department wants Congress to let it shift from its approved budget as much as $1 billion largely for its response to the Ebola outbreak, doubling its initial request, an Obama administration official said. … It’s unclear precisely how much of the $1 billion in reprogrammed funds will end being spent on efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak, the administration official said. … The White House is taking the unusual step of making public the DOD’s reprogramming request in connection with Ebola…” (Young, 9/17).

CQ News: Mikulski Calls for More Unified Effort to Counter Ebola
“The top Senate appropriator said Tuesday that there should be a point person for the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, citing the size and scope of the issue and the involvement of multiple government agencies. Appropriations Chairwoman Barbara A. Mikulski used the annual funding bills as an example for the need, noting that the Foreign Operations, Defense, and Labor-HHS-Education spending measures will all be involved in countering the outbreak…” (Attias, 9/16).