The Obama administration plans to ask Congress to approve $1 billion to fight Ebola, sources say, as the U.S. military command in Africa makes countering the deadly disease its highest priority.
The increased funding would result in the deployment of approximately 3,000 U.S. military personnel, the creation of a joint task force commanded by a three-star officer, military provision of logistics and mobility support, three field medical facilities and a training program for health care workers, a source told Fox News on Monday.
The support is estimated to last at least six months and cost upwards of $1 billion dollars, with estimated daily costs of at least $5.4 million a day.
The request would not be in addition to money that's already been approved, but rather, re-appropriating existing funding.
The fight against Ebola is considered, in part, a national security issue because the disease threatens fragile governments in Africa and could lead to more safe havens for terrorists. The request falls under the jurisdiction of the Pentagon because the military has the capacity to set up quarantine camps.
Sources told Fox News on Monday that the request is expected to be discussed Tuesday at the Senate Armed Serviecs Committee hearing with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey. But the sources said they believe the requested amount is a lot to reprogram.
The Obama administration’s decision to enlist the Defense Department in responding to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has raised concerns that the task is pulling the already-stretched military away from other missions, including vital counter-terrorism operations.
According to a senior military official, Dempsey said at a recent meeting: "The Department of Defense's number one priority is combating Ebola."
However, a Defense Department source told Fox News last week that alarms had been raised about the decision.
“We don’t need to be taking planners away from the CT [counterterrorism] mission, and that is what is going on,” the Defense Department source said.
USAID and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are already involved.
The death toll in the Ebola outbreak is expected to reach 10,000 before six months from now, and some estimates believe it will reach 500,000 before it’s over.
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the senior Republican on the Senate's health committee, said Monday that the U.S. must take the Ebola threat as seriously as it does the Islamic State terrorist group. He added that he would support the Obama administration's request for $30 million for the CDC and $58 million for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority in an upcoming bill.
“This is an instance where we should be running toward the burning flames with our fireproof suits on," Alexander said in a statement. "This is an emergency. We need to recognize it, and we need to find and work with other countries in the world that recognize it.”
Fox News' Jennifer Griffin, Justin Fischel, Lucas Tomlinson and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
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