CDC chief: ‘No evidence’ USAID cuts hampered Ebola response

The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) denied Wednesday that the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign aid negatively impacted the global response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” that he has “never met a more competent, committed group of professionals” than the CDC teams addressing the outbreaks of Ebola and Hantavirus. 

“I’ve seen no evidence at all that any cuts that have happened… have impacted our ability to address these outbreaks,” Bhattacharya added.

The State Department drastically scaled back the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) last year, absorbing its duties.

A report released by Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee earlier this month cited those cuts as contributing factors to the outbreak. 

“The rapid spread of the virus is directly linked to a failure to test, track, isolate and treat sick patients, which was previously........

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