Budget Hearing - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

House Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies

2025-05-14

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Source: Congress.gov

Summary

During this hearing of the House Appropriations Committee, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. presented the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) fiscal year 2026 budget, emphasizing the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement and proposing significant reforms and budget cuts to various agencies. The session was marked by sharp disagreements, particularly concerning the legality and impact of these proposed changes and the administration's actions regarding congressionally appropriated funds.

Themes

HHS Budget and Reorganization

Secretary Kennedy outlined a budget aimed at making America healthy again, focusing on structural reforms, increased efficiency, and reducing costs through measures such as consolidating programs and eliminating redundant positions. The administration intends to shift funding from bureaucracy towards direct impact, while preserving core programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Head Start. However, Democratic members expressed strong opposition, viewing the proposed $33 billion in cuts as disastrous, particularly for critical public health programs at agencies like the NIH and CDC. They questioned the Secretary's authority to make these changes without congressional approval and alleged that funds already appropriated for 2025 were being illegally withheld. Secretary Kennedy maintained that the reorganization aimed to streamline operations and ensure accountability, citing a court order restricting him from detailing some plans[ 00:41:15-00:41:33 ]

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Public Health Priorities and Controversies

The Secretary highlighted efforts to combat the opioid crisis, reduce synthetic drug spread, and improve nutrition by addressing ultra-processed foods and harmful food dyes[ 00:25:18-00:25:18 ]

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. He also reiterated a commitment to protecting tribal health services and ensuring consistent access to care for vulnerable populations. Concerns were raised by Democratic members regarding the Secretary's personal stance on vaccines for measles, chickenpox, and polio, with accusations of promoting skepticism and misinformation. Secretary Kennedy declined to offer personal medical advice, stating his role was to present scientific data transparently[ 01:06:07-01:06:07 ]

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. Maternal health and women's health research also became a point of contention, with members expressing worry over potential program eliminations.

Agency-Specific Challenges and Reforms

Significant discussion centered on specific federal health agencies. At the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Secretary plans to fund cutting-edge research while eliminating "risky or nonessential services," including gain-of-function experiments, and reforming the agency to prevent "corruption" and industry capture[ 00:26:24-00:26:28 ]

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. Critics countered that the proposed cuts, including an $18 billion reduction, would dismantle life-saving biomedical research. For the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reforms aim to return it to core missions like disease tracking and outbreak investigation, while members worried about the elimination of prevention programs for HIV, tobacco, and lead poisoning[ 00:26:47-00:26:47 ]

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. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is tasked with expanding food safety efforts, but staffing cuts raised concerns about critical inspections and approvals. The Secretary also addressed the crisis of missing unaccompanied minors at the southern border, stating new measures are in place for vetting sponsors and launching criminal investigations.

Medicaid and Healthcare Access

The proposed budget changes to Medicaid sparked heated debate. While Republican members supported cuts targeting "fraud, waste, and abuse," such as individuals claiming benefits in multiple states, illegal aliens, or able-bodied adults refusing to work, Democratic members warned that these actions would strip legitimate healthcare access from millions of vulnerable Americans, including children and low-income families[ 01:55:42-01:55:49 ]

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. The Secretary argued that Medicaid's core purpose is to serve poor children, women, and the disabled, and that the reforms are meant to ensure the program's integrity and financial sustainability[ 01:56:38-01:56:38 ]

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Tone of the Meeting

The tone of the meeting was largely contentious and highly polarized, reflecting significant ideological divides between the administration and congressional Democrats. Secretary Kennedy was often defensive and assertive, particularly when responding to criticisms about budget cuts and policy changes, consistently framing his actions as necessary reforms for efficiency and fiscal responsibility[ 00:37:37 ]

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. Democratic members were critical and skeptical, frequently accusing the Secretary of misinformation, illegal actions, and jeopardizing public health, often using strong emotional language[ 01:20:16 ]

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. Conversely, Republican members offered supportive remarks, commending the Secretary's vision for reform and commitment to reducing wasteful spending[ 00:09:42 ] . Several exchanges were emotional and personal, touching on deeply sensitive issues like addiction, child trafficking, and health disparities, highlighting the human impact of the policies discussed. Both sides frequently called for more clarity and specific data to justify proposed changes.

Participants

Transcript

who are pro-life.  I'm encouraged by President Trump's tremendous success in getting our nation's border under control so quickly and so effectively.  The President's success in securing our border directly benefits public health by reducing the incoming flow of illicit drugs like fentanyl, which has fallen by 54% since this time last year.   And that's no small thing.  Similarly, the President's border actions have significantly reduced the number of unaccompanied minors being trafficked into our country.  I look forward to hearing from the Secretary about these efforts as well.  I also look forward to learning more about the Secretary's plans to reform and reorganize the Department of Health and Human Services.  Over the past two years, Secretary Kennedy has spoken eloquently   to the American people about the urgent need for health care reform.  He continued to make the case for reform as he partnered with President Trump to make America Healthy Again movement.  Last month, the Secretary announced a number of structural reform proposals within the Department of Health and Human Services and its numerous sub-agencies, including the establishment of a new administration for Healthy America.   Mr. Secretary, I appreciate the preliminary details of this plan that you have shared with us, and I look forward to hearing more this morning.  Congress has also been engaged on the urgent need to reform our health care agencies.  Last year, I was pleased to work with our colleagues on the Energy and the Commerce Committee to initiate reform proposals   for NIH, or the National Institute of Health.  I'm encouraged to see that the administration is building off of this process by making additional form proposals at the National Institute of Health.
I look forward to hearing more details about that, your proposal, and to continue on a dialogue between the department and the Preparations Committee as we begin the budget process in Ernst.
Mr. Secretary, I'm sure you know all too well that implementing reforms in Washington is no easy task.  However, the President has asked you to take on this weighty challenge, and you have accepted that challenge.  We here in Congress want to partner with you, bringing our own experience to the table as elected representatives of our communities.  We share your goal to make America healthy again, and we look forward this morning to your testimony here today.   And with that, I'd like to turn to our ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, Ms.
DeLauro, for any opening remarks that she may have.  Ms.  DeLauro, you're recognized.  Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for holding what is a very critically important hearing on President Trump's disastrous budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services.  Secretary Kennedy, good morning to you.  We welcome you to the House Appropriations Committee for your first budget hearing.   However, I cannot thank you for the Trump administration's budget request to cut funding for important health programs by $33 billion.  Quite frankly, I view it as a disgrace.  Under your budget proposal, Americans would die of needless and preventable deaths.  But before we talk about the request to cut tens of billions of dollars next year, I would like to talk about what is happening right now.   The American people are demanding health with a cost of living, but President Trump is not laser focused on the cost of living crisis.  He is actually making it worse.  He promised to fight for the working class, but instead put Elon Musk and billionaires in charge of the government and you to destroy everything we know about good public health.  Mr. Secretary, the administration is recklessly and unlawfully   freezing and stealing congressionally appropriated funds from a wide swath of agencies, programs, and services across the government that serve the American people.  And recall that this is a violation of the Constitution.  The power of the purse resides with the Congress.  It's Article 1, Section 9, Clause 7.  Yourself and President Trump and Elon Musk are attacking health programs to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.   By promoting quackery, we are endangering the health of the American people with pseudoscience, fear-mongering, and misinformation.  Governments should fight for the middle class, the working class, and the vulnerable, not the interests of billionaires like Elon Musk.
Instead, with you at the helm, the Trump administration and Republicans in the Congress are destroying the crown jewels of our health system.  The National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,   and the Food and Drug Administration.  At the NIH, the world's largest funder of life-saving biomedical research, you and Elon Musk have fired or driven out nearly 5,000 personnel, including some of the world's most preeminent scientists, frozen billions of dollars in research to develop cures for cancer, Alzheimer's disease, women's health, and the list goes on.   and Europe are taking advantage of this disaster by recruiting American scientists away from the United States.  China wants to overtake us as a global leader in health research and innovation.  You and President Trump are aiding and abetting them.

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