Endangered Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) was against a West Africa travel ban earlier this week. Hagan agreed with President Obama and most Democrats at the time, in rejecting calls for a temporary travel ban to halt the spread of Ebola, which has now infected at least two Americans.
“The CDC and the World Health Organization is certainly giving us great guidance, but we’ve got to make sure the implementation is perfect,” said the first-term senator. Hagan also declined to endorse the policy of temporarily banning passengers from entering the U.S. if they’re traveling from West African countries experiencing the Ebola outbreak.
“That’s not going to help solve this problem,” said Hagan of the proposed ban. “That’s not going to contain the epidemic that we see happening in Africa.”
Hagan changed her tune today. The senator released an about-face statement this afternoon.
Greensboro, NC – U.S. Senator Kay Hagan issued the following statement about the ongoing Ebola crisis:
“I have said for weeks that travel restrictions should be one part of a broad strategy to prevent Ebola from spreading in the U.S. and fighting it in Africa. I am calling on the Administration to temporarily ban the travel of non-U.S. citizens from the affected countries in West Africa. Although stopping the spread of this virus overseas will require a large, coordinated effort with the international community, a temporary travel ban is a prudent step the President can take to protect the American people, and I believe he should do so immediately.”
Her challenger, Republican Thom Tillis, already called for a temporary travel ban more than two weeks ago.
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