(AP) -- Sen. Charles Schumer says the federal government should reimburse New York City and Bellevue Hospital for costs related to Ebola.

The Democrat says Sunday that more than $20 million has been spent on tracking health professionals and others arriving from Ebola-stricken countries and treating Dr. Craig Spencer, a physician who recovered from the illness after receiving treatment at Bellevue.

Schumer says federal reimbursement for most of the costs is justified because the efforts are helping to prevent the deadly disease from getting a foothold in the United States.

He's also calling for the creation of a new "Ebola fund" to defray the costs for local governments who have to take similar steps in the future. A similar fund already exists to help areas fight tuberculosis.