House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) delivered opening remarks at today’s Health Subcommittee hearing titled: “Fiscal Year 2024 Department of Health and Human Services Budget.”
Excerpts and highlights below:
PRESIDENT BIDEN’S FAILED BUDGET
“Today’s hearing on the President’s budget for the Department of Health and Human Services comes at a time when we need to return hope and optimism to America again so people can live fuller, happier, and healthier lives.
“We need to come together to stop the fentanyl crisis and save lives.
“We need to rein in out-of-control government spending to reverse the President Biden’s inflation crisis so people can afford health care.
“We need to help build and support strong communities, so people are less lonely, less anxious, and restore a sense of purpose and belonging for our children.
“There must be accountability from the administration, too, for all the ways it has made these crises worse, especially with authoritarian COVID-19 policies.
“Secretary Becerra, the President’s budget should reflect the solutions we need to make people’s lives better.
“Unfortunately, that is not what we are seeing.”
FIGHTING THE FENTANYL CRISIS
“Regarding fentanyl, as Mr. Guthrie said, the President’s budget only mentions this two times.
“It is unacceptable given more people than ever are dying from fentanyl poisoning in America.
“This committee has heard from several parents, such as Molly Cain, who emphasize that their children were not suffering from substance use disorder, but that their teenager purchased a pill off Snapchat, or bought cocaine, not knowing it was laced with fentanyl, and died.
“Your budget request for increased funding for medication assisted treatment, while important, doesn’t seem like it would have prevented these individuals from dying of fentanyl poisoning.
“This is perhaps the greatest threat facing our communities but your budget does not reflect all aspects of the terrifying reality of this crisis.”
IMPROVING PRICE TRANSPARENCY
“Regarding health care costs, this committee came together just yesterday in a bipartisan way to explore ways to lower health care costs with more price transparency and more competition.
“This is a top priority for those we serve yet, your budget says nothing regarding bipartisan efforts to implement and enforce the transparency efforts brought forth during the Trump administration.”
REBUILDING TRUST IN PUBLIC HEALTH
“In addition to lowering costs, the administration needs to take restoring trust in our public health agencies more seriously.
“The buck stops with you.
“You oversee our public health and preparedness policies under the CDC and NIH.
“As I’ve said, these agencies need to do the hard work of restoring trust with the American people and comply with our oversight before they ask for more money and more authority.
“The NIH, in many cases, has failed to be a steward of American taxpayer dollars or ensure lab safety.
“It has stonewalled this committee’s requests for information that we’re constitutionally entitled to and it refuses to answer questions about what sort of risky gain-of-function research it may fund or what role the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity is playing to keep Americans safe.
“Similarly, the CDC has created a crisis in confidence so much so that CDC Director Walensky has undertaken a full-scale reevaluation and reorganization of the agency.
“This is because its guidance was used to justify mandates that have more parents questioning routine vaccination.
“Its guidance, influenced by the teachers' unions, kept schools closed, to justify mask mandates on kids.
“We know these weren’t decisions based on the best science and data.
“Now, our children are paying the price academically, physically, emotionally.”
AMERICANS EXPECT BETTER
“Like NIH, the CDC does not need more authority. It needs robust oversight.
“Secretary Becerra, let me be clear: We expect better.
“The American people are eager for a brighter future.
“We expect a high degree of cooperation from you on policies that will help improve their health and their quality of life.
“I hope you leave today with a greater since of the urgency, the urgency that I feel and that every member of this committee feels, to address these problems and do that in a bipartisan fashion.
“We are committed to bringing the Republicans and Democrats together to address fentanyl, together to address the need for trust in our public health agencies like the CDC and NIH, and together as we did yesterday on price transparency that would really help restore the patient-doctor relationship and bring down the cost of health care.
“That’s our goal. We’re committed to doing it together.”
Original source can be found here.