GOP Introduces Bill That Would Enforce Ebola Travel Ban

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Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is among a group of five Republican senators who introduced a bill this week that, if passed, would impose a travel ban preventing those in countries currently afflicted by Ebola from coming to the United States.

A release on Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley's official website detailed the legislation. Rubio and Grassley are joined by Sens. Pat Roberts (Kan.), John Thune (S.D.) and Mark Kirk (Ill.).

Under the proposed bill, people living in countries experiencing "widespread transmission of Ebola" as noted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would be unable to acquire a visa to enter the U.S.

However, aid workers and authorized foreign military members would be absolved.

In a statement on his website, Grassley explained the reasoning behind the bill:

"The Ebola virus outbreak has wreaked havoc on several West African countries and has threatened the United States.  To protect our security, we must stop Ebola at its source.  The best way to make this happen is to cease issuing visas or restricting entry to people from countries that are most impacted.  The fact of the matter is that these countries simply don’t have the standards in place to properly screen travelers entering the United States."

Residents of countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, which have been struggling with the Ebola outbreak for the past nine months, would have to wait until at least 60 days after the CDC determines the virus is under control in their nation in order to be eligible for a visa.

In a response to the GOP proposal, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow downplayed the implied threat by issuing the following statement via the organization's website:

"The U.S. travel community continues to heed the overwhelming consensus of health and security experts, which is that a travel ban intended to halt the spread of Ebola would be ineffective at best and possibly harmful to efforts to contain the outbreak."

Dow went on to say that "the public has made clear its level of concern about Ebola both here and abroad, and debating the proper policy response in the clear light of day is a proper and healthy thing. But as Congress considers this issue, we fervently hope that science and empirical data will hold sway over any new measures, as they have over the policy steps taken by the federal government so far."

Although this bill represents the most recent attempt by lawmakers to impose an Ebola travel ban, it isn't the first time they've put pressure on the White House.

So far, President Barack Obama has remained firm on the issue, countering with the argument that a travel ban could potentially endanger more people by forcing travelers to forgo existing protocols.