Ranking Member Scott Opening Remarks HHS Budget Hearing

Ranking Member Scott Opening Remarks HHS Budget Hearing

WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today's full committee hearing entitled, "Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Health and Human Services."

"Thank you, Chairman Walberg. And thank you, Secretary Kennedy, for your testimony today. Your appearance before this Committee has been a long time coming.

"Mr. Secretary, you lead an agency that has immense responsibility to both enhance and protect Americans' well-being. The mission of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is 'to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans, by providing for effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services.' This mission is why many of us, you included, got involved in public service in the first place.

"This is in part why the President's words the other day were so shocking. Trump said - as you can see part of it over my shoulder - 'We're fighting wars... it's not possible for us to take care of daycare. Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things, they can do it on a state basis. You can't do it on a federal [level]. We have to take care of one thing: military protection.' And regrettably, the proposed budget you are here to defend today reflects this sentiment.

"Overall, the White House's proposal reduces HHS discretionary budget authority by $15.8 billion, or 12.5 percent. And these proposed cuts, if enacted, will have devastating consequences for Americans' health and well-being and will raise costs for American families.

"Take Americans' health care, for example. The proposed budget cuts target public health agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH),weakening the systems that communities rely on to prevent disease and respond to crises. Additionally, thanks to cuts from the 'Big Ugly Bill' and policies of this Administration, Americans are now paying more to see a doctor and to fill prescriptions. Americans should not have to go into debt in order just to stay healthy. The Department should focus on ensuring affordable, accessible health coverage for as many people as possible. Regrettably, when fully implemented, the actions taken by this Congress and this Administration will reduce the number of people insured by 15 million.

"And as a direct result of this Administration's policies and priorities, the cost of living has become increasingly more unaffordable. Moreover, the President has recklessly gotten us into another war in the Middle East, causing energy prices to skyrocket.

"Yet, your budget would eliminate the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps millions of families stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer, reducing the risk of health and safety problems arising from unsafe heating and cooling situations.

"Similarly, American families are struggling to find safe, affordable child care. And true to his word that 'it's not possible for us to take care of day care,' the President's budget proposes flat funding for both Head Start and the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), even though current funding levels serve only small fractions of eligible children. And when adjusted for inflation, flat funding will likely result in fewer children actually served. In addition, the President's budget would completely eliminate the Preschool Development Grant (PDG), which helps states improve the quality and safety of child care programs and ensures all children arrive in kindergarten ready to succeed.

"Last year, HHS illegally withheld funding from Head Start facilities nationwide, pushing many Head Start programs to the brink. And earlier this year, HHS froze over $10 billion in congressionally appropriated funds for five Democratic-led states, which also impacted the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). These actions are not without victims. Many child care providers and grantees are already operating on a shoestring budget. Without federal support, child care centers may close. And when they do, parents are left in the lurch without access to child care.

"In times like these, social safety-net programs provide struggling families a lifeline. However, these programs have either been taken away or scaled back under your leadership. Cutting these programs doesn't make the cost of child care, food, or health care go away- it only shifts the burden onto the households that can least afford them.

"Lastly, I also want to address the growing concerns of disabled Americans, who have been acutely impacted by your Department's policies and priorities. Last year, you targeted the Administration for Community Living (ACL), an office that houses several key programs for disabled people as well as seniors. The loss of ACL would not merely be a bureaucratic shift. Its proposed elimination sent a clear message that the rights and safety of disabled people and older adults were no longer a priority for HHS. After more than 50 years of bipartisan progress toward independent living and equal opportunity, the proposed dismantling of ACL takes this country backward.

"Last August, I released a report detailing how the Administration has undermined programs such as Centers for Independent Living and Assistive Technology. Moreover, the 'Big Ugly Bill's' deep cuts to Medicaid will inevitably reduce home- and community-based services, the very support that allows people with disabilities to live independently

"Additionally, your proposed budget eliminated the Chronic Disease Self-Management Education (CDSME) and Falls Prevention programs - programs that seniors across the country have come to rely on.

"When services are cut, families face impossible choices, and people risk losing their independence. I ask you to reconsider your position and recommit to fully supporting people with disabilities and older Americans.

"Mr. Secretary, I want today's discussion to focus on how you can actually fulfill HHS' mission, and our commitment as citizens to care for one another. Regrettably, I fear that this budget proposal will not serve that goal.

"Thank you, and I yield back."

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