As Ebola fades from the headlines , the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other top federal health officials made their case for a multi-billion dollar emergency fund to fight the virus in a congressional hearing Tuesday . CDC director Thomas Frieden defended President Barack Obama 's $ 6.2 billion proposal to combat Ebola , pointing out that the CDC is working on `` borrowed dollars . '' `` The only way to protect us in the U.S. is to stop it at the source , and to build systems both in Africa and the U.S. that will find , stop and prevent Ebola , '' said Frieden , likening the spread of Ebola virus to a wild fire . Band Aid 's Geldof on Ebola : 'We 're going to stop this thing ' If secured , the funding will be spent in part on increased foreign aid to halt the spread of Ebola in West Africa . Another portion of the money could build new safeguards to help American hospitals respond swiftly to potential future outbreaks . Currently , not all American medical centers are equipped to treat Ebola . With more funding , officials , say , hospital training can be expanded beyond the four medical centers where patients are funneled . CDC director reflects on how his agency is handling Ebola . Obama made his pitch for increased funding just before a meeting with top health officials earlier Tuesday . In his remarks , the President admitted that media attention over the crisis has ebbed in recent weeks as the number of American Ebola patients has decreased -- but insisted that future risks can be minimized if Congress acts now . `` We are nowhere near out of the woods yet in West Africa , '' Obama said , noting the increasing number of Ebola contractions in Sierra Leone . `` The more we can catch these things early where they begin , the less risks we have over the long term . '' Should cities be reimbursed for Ebola costs ? The second death from Ebola in the U.S. occurred this week : Martin Salia , a doctor who contracted the disease when treating patients in Sierra Leone , died Monday in Nebraska . For additional funding to be secured , Congress will need to pass a new budget by Dec. 11 before the GOP Senate majority is sworn in -- or risk a government shutdown . Complete coverage on Ebola .
The CDC director made a case before Congress for $ 6.2 billion . President Barack Obama has said funding will prevent spread of the virus . The federal budget must be approved by Dec. 11 .