Hearings to examine securing the future of health care, focusing on enhancing cybersecurity and protecting Americans' privacy.

Committee on Education

2025-07-09

Source: Congress.gov

Summary

The meeting began with procedural matters regarding a vote on a nominee, followed by statements on the CDC Director nomination, and then shifted to a primary discussion on healthcare cybersecurity, though a significant portion of the hearing diverged to debate the impact of a recent reconciliation bill on healthcare across the nation[ 00:02:14-00:04:31 ] [ 00:18:47-00:21:30 ]

Citation requires full transcript

Sign in to continue

Sign in
.

Themes

CDC Director Nomination

Senator Collins expressed strong support for Dr. Menares's nomination as the CDC Director, citing her extensive experience, commitment to scientific decision-making, and dedication to improving transparency and modernizing health data systems[ 00:03:17-00:03:57 ] . She highlighted the importance of a leader who can restore public trust and combat re-emerging health threats like measles, linking current outbreaks to misinformation regarding vaccines[ 00:03:59-00:04:10 ] . In contrast, Senator Sanders vehemently opposed Dr. Menares's nomination, arguing that under her watch, the Trump administration undermined the CDC's mission through funding cuts, data purging, and firing scientists[ 00:05:02-00:05:08 ] . He criticized Dr. Menares for not opposing Secretary Kennedy's spread of vaccine misinformation, which he believes contributed to the highest number of measles cases in 33 years.

Healthcare Cybersecurity

The discussion emphasized the critical and growing threat of cyberattacks to the healthcare system, impacting patient care, financial operations, and public health data[ 00:19:37-00:20:18 ]

Citation requires full transcript

Sign in to continue

Sign in
. Greg Garcia from the Health Care and Public Health Sector Coordinating Council detailed industry efforts to build defenses and stressed the need for government collaboration through mechanisms like the CPAC framework and the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act. He also pointed out that third-party IT and software service providers, who are often unregulated, are implicated in 50% of data breaches and need to be held to higher standards. Rene Quachy of the Consumer Technology Association advocated for a comprehensive, preemptive federal data privacy law to address the outdated and fragmented existing framework, particularly concerning consumer wearables not covered by HIPAA. Linda Stevenson, CIO of Fisher Titus, highlighted the unique challenges faced by rural hospitals, including the high cost of cybersecurity, talent shortages, and regulatory burdens. She called for federal support, such as a vetted list of third-party vendors and financial assistance, while moving away from punitive approaches for victimized organizations.

Impact of Reconciliation Bill on Healthcare

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to a contentious debate about the effects of a recently passed reconciliation bill. Senator Sanders, Robert Weissman of Public Citizen, and Dr. Alison Galvani from Yale School of Public Health asserted that the bill would lead to over $1.1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, causing 17 million Americans to lose health insurance and an estimated 50,000 annual excess deaths[ 00:52:15-00:52:25 ]

Citation requires full transcript

Sign in to continue

Sign in
. They also predicted widespread closures of rural hospitals, community health centers, and a reduction in nursing home services, citing reports from various research institutions. They proposed alternative ways to achieve savings, such as regulating drug prices, ending privatized Medicare, and implementing a single-payer system to streamline administration and expand care. Senator Husted briefly countered, stating that the legislation would increase funding for rural hospitals in Ohio by 24%.

Tone of the Meeting

The meeting began with a formal and procedural tone, marked by efforts to manage time and attendance[ 00:02:14-00:02:57 ] . However, it quickly became contentious and partisan during the CDC director nomination, with Senator Sanders sharply criticizing the nominee and the administration. The atmosphere shifted further with the introduction of the reconciliation bill debate, leading to heated exchanges, interruptions, and accusations of "half-truths" from the Chair[ 00:24:30 ]

Citation requires full transcript

Sign in to continue

Sign in
. Despite these disagreements, there were moments of shared concern and collaboration among some members regarding the serious challenges of cybersecurity in healthcare, particularly for rural providers.

Participants

Transcript

Please come to order.  Just for my colleagues.  There's people with other committees that have to get out, like pronto.  And so I thought that Senator Sanders and I would do our opening statements, and then we'll allow people to fill in.  But as soon as we have enough people to do the vote, we're going to vote, and then let people get to their other committees.  So we'll go ahead and start with, shall we say, less than a full House, trusting that the House will come full.   First, let me begin by thanking Dr. Menares, if she's watching this, for coming before the committee last month.  The United States needs a CDC director who makes decisions rooted in science, a leader who will reform the agency and work to restore public trust in health institutions.   With decades of proven experience as a public health official, Dr. Menares is ready to take on this challenge.  She is committed to improving transparency at the CDC and properly communicating health guidance to the American people.  Dr. Menares will work to modernize our data health systems to improve public health coordination and response while protecting Americans' sensitive health information.   This is especially crucial as the nations combat re-emerging public health threats like measles, which has taken three lives in the United States this year, one that's not included but is tragic.  A Canadian woman who was pregnant got exposed to measles and lost her child and hospitalized many more due to misinformation regarding the measles epidemic.   vaccine.  I support Dr. Menares's nomination.  I urge colleagues to do the same.  With that, I recognize Senator Sanders.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.  I will be voting against President Trump's nominee to be the next director of CDC, Dr. Menares.  The mission of the CDC is, quote, to protect America from health, safety, and security threats, both foreign and in the United States, end quote.   As the CDC states on its website, quote, whether diseases start at home or abroad are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack.  CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same, end quote.  Unacceptably, President Trump and Secretary Kennedy are working overtime.   to undermine the vital mission of the CDC and are jeopardizing the health, safety, and well-being of millions of people, both at home and abroad, in the process.  And unfortunately, Dr. Moneris, who has served as Trump's acting CDC director, has done nothing to stand in the way.   Under her watch, the Trump administration has illegally delayed or canceled $11 billion in public health funding to fight infectious disease and to prepare for the next pandemic, purged important public health data from its website that scientists need to respond to disease outbreaks, and fired scientists to focus on worker safety, the health of mothers and children, birth defects and disabilities, smoking cessation, and HIV prevention.   Further, Dr. Manera stood by while Secretary Kennedy spread misinformation about vaccines.  The chairman mentioned the serious problem that we have in vaccines.  He is right.  And that is exactly one of the reasons why we should reject this nominee.  Today, the United States is reporting the highest number of measles cases in 33 years.  In my view, we need a CDC director who will defend science
protect public health, and repudiate Secretary Kennedy's dangerous conspiracy theories about safe and effective vaccines that have saved, over the years, millions of lives.  Unfortunately, after reviewing her record, I do not believe that Dr. Moneris is that person.  I would encourage my colleagues to oppose this nomination.  Thank you.
So again, for the folks here, we started, for those who just arrived, we started early because so many people have committee hearings and they've got to get to.  Now, on the Republican side, we need to have all of us stay until all of us have voted yes.  And I'm told that people are like showing up before Senator Collins has to leave.   Okay.  So, but I suggest that we start voting now.  And then when the people like Holly walks in, because I'm told he's arriving shortly, we'll get his yes.  And we don't have to go through the whole list.  We don't have to go through the whole list.  Is that okay with everybody?  Yep.  Okay.  Sounds good.  The clerk should call the roll.
Senator Paul.

Sign up for free to see the full transcript

Accounts help us prevent bots from abusing our site. Accounts are free and will allow you to access the full transcript.

Sign up