Gates Package — page 51

'The Honorable Rob Portman October 17, 2014 roles of each of these agencies in the whole-of-government U.S. response is enclosed for your reference, The U.S. government has been in contact with the affected countries in West Africa since March and immediately engaged in the response--providing assistance and resources at the level requested by each country's government, The U.S. government already has committed more than $350 million toward fighting the outbreak in West Africa, including more than $111 million in humanitarian aid, DoD is prepared to devote more than $1 billion to the whole-of-government Ebola response effort. As a further indication of our prioritization of this response, the United States convened a special United Nations (UN) Security Council session on the epidemic, and President Obama called the world to action during a subsequent UN session called by SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon, These U.S. actions have galvanized millions of dollars in international funding and in-kind support. We believe this whole-of-government approach is the best way to assist the ministries of health in the affected West African countries and protect the lives of the citizens of the United States. However, it is important to acknowledge that we cannot fight this epidemic alone. Continued collaboration with these countries and the international community is critical to stopping the spread of Ebola at home and abroad. The Ebola outbreak reminds us that our global efforts to build the capacity to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to infectious disease threats like Ebola have never been more vital. In February, we came together with nations around the world to launch the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) as a five-year effort to accelerate action, On September 26, 2014, President Obama met with leaders of 40 nations as well as top Administration officials to advance progress in the GHSA. Over the next five years the United States has committed to working with at least 30 partner countries to invest in model systems to advance the GHSA. CDC and DoD will work with other U.S, agencies and partner countries to establish emergency operations centers, build information systems, and strengthen laboratory security to mitigate biological threats and build partner capacity. 'Thank you again for your letter and for your support of the U.S. government's response to the current Ebola epidemic, Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further thoughts or concerns, Sincerely, Sylvia M. Burwell Enclosure