Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2026 for the Department of Health and Human Services.
2025-05-14
Source: Congress.gov
Summary
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions convened to examine the Department of Health and Human Services' proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, led by Secretary Timothy Kennedy. The hearing addressed key issues including prescription drug pricing, cuts to vital research programs like those for cancer and Alzheimer's, the elimination of NIH and CDC divisions, and proposed workforce reductions. Secretary Kennedy defended the budget as a path to 'making America healthy again' through cost-cutting and streamlining, while facing sharp criticism from senators over the impact on maternal health, clinical trials, and public health programs. Witnesses pressed on issues from vaping regulation to autism research, with concerns raised about the transparency of decision-making, the effects on patient care, and the potential for reversing years of scientific progress. The session highlighted a profound policy debate over the role of government in health care, the balance between fiscal responsibility and medical research, and the consequences of proposed cuts for vulnerable populations.
Participants
Transcript
I was waiting for the cameras to leave, and they weren't, so I decided to reign them in. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will please come to order. Secretary Kennedy, thank you for coming before the committee. President Trump has taken on the mission to reform the federal government, making health care more affordable, and making America healthy again. It's clear the status quo does not work. bureaucratic bloat, regulatory hurdles at the Department of Health and Human Services have made it harder to deliver critical services. HHS needs to work better for the American people. This means finding ways to speed up approvals for life-saving drugs, improving delivery of health care services so Americans who need these benefits can receive them, addressing the high levels of chronic disease, and holding bad actors accountable to lower health care costs for the American people. I'm encouraged that HHS is already working to address these issues. I want to note that this is the first time in at least two decades the HHS Secretary is testifying on the Department's budget before the HELP Committee. And I appreciate Secretary Kennedy for coming to answer our questions on the fiscal year 2026 budget. Now, people fear change, even when it's from worse to better. But without a clearly defined plan or objective, people assume the worst. Much of the conversation about HHS's agenda has been set by anonymous sources in the media and individuals with a bias against the president. Americans need direct reassurance from the administration and from you, Mr. Secretary, that these reforms will make their lives easier, not harder, and that's why I've invited you. No one can make that case better than you. These are the questions about how HHS will be able to preserve its primary functions and duties under this proposed budget. Many offices and programs potentially seeing changes are essential for implementing bipartisan laws, including laws championed and signed into law by President Trump.
Example, in 2018, Congress worked with President Trump to pass the Support for Patients and Communities Act, protecting communities, saving lives through increased access to naloxone, and prevention and treatment for fentanyl addiction. The HELP Committee and President Trump also work together to pass laws to improve research into health disparities, address the needs of Americans with traumatic brain injuries, Alzheimer's, Lyme disease, support family caregivers, and help moms and babies live healthier lives. Programs essential to achieving President Trump's goal of making America healthy again. In this proposed budget, offices that are responsible for overseeing many of these initiatives, which were initiated by President Trump, will be consolidated or repurposed. Now, I agree with Secretary Kennedy that HHS needs reform. Over the past several years, I've engaged stakeholders and worked with colleagues to identify opportunities to modernize a wide array of HHS agencies and programs. The department needs to have an effective plan to fulfill statutory duties in tandem with efforts to increase transparency accountability, to streamline programs, and to root out wasteful spending. Congress and the administration should work together to ensure reforms strike the right balance and deliver for all Americans. Mr. Secretary, once more, no one can set the record straight better than you to explain how the Department will maintain its critical duties and implement change important to Americans' health. By providing this clarity, we in Congress will be able to advocate for shared priorities in future legislation. And you will gain the trust of the American people, putting their minds at ease. I appreciate you being here. I look forward to hearing how the proposed HHS budget will advance President Trump's mission. And with that, I recognize Senator Sanders for his opening statement. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Secretary, thanks for being with us. Let me begin by quoting a sentence that came from your prepared remarks. You state, and I quote, the United States remains the sickest developed nation, and we spend four and a half trillion annually on health care, two to three times more per capita than comparable nations. Clearly, something is structurally wrong with our approach, end of quote. You're right. The current health care system is broken. It is wildly expensive. It is dysfunctional. So what do we do, Mr. Secretary, to address it? Maybe, for a start, we do what every other major country on Earth does and recognize that health care is a human right guaranteed to every man, woman, and child. Maybe we understand that the function of a rational healthcare system is not to make hundreds of billions of dollars in profit for insurance companies and drug companies who often engage in stock buybacks, pay their CEOs outrageous compensation packages. There was a guy from one of the major drug companies sitting exactly where you are sitting. Last year, a guy makes $50 million a year.
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