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▶ 0:13:47the committee on Energy and Commerce will come to order and the rules of the House of Representatives for 19th Congress require each Committee in a meeting in a meeting open to the public to consider and adopt an authorization and oversight plan this is why we're meeting today to consider the committee on Energy and Commerce authorization and oversight plan and before I recognize myself for an opening statement I just want to remind members of both sides I know we're going to have robust debate today that's what our our system produces as a robust
▶ 0:14:18debate and we certainly appreciate that but I also remind members on both sides of the aisle of deorum in our rules members are advised they must observe the house standards of deorum in debate and conduct and speak can act respectfully and not use this early words of language so I know we'll have a good robust debate today and stick to those rules thank you so I will now recognize myself for opening statement today's markup to consider the authorization and oversight plan for 119th Congress
▶ 0:14:48is an opportunity to reflect on our committee's broad jurisdiction and our oversight and policy priorities as I emphasized in an organizational meeting the committee on Energy and Commerce plays a pivotal role in restoring The American Dream by unleashing American Energy lowering the cost of healthcare and ensuring that America Remains the world leader in technological innovation this plan helps provide our road map for the 119th Congress to achieve these goals we have already begun this effort in the beginning weeks of the Congress by the end of the week every subcommittee
▶ 0:15:19will have held its first hearing these hearings have covered a range of priorities including energy Independence domestic manufacturing artificial intelligence Spectrum management comb elicit drugs and easing regulatory burdens on industry tomorrow the oversight investigation subcommittee will hold its first hearing of the Congress examining loans and grants made the department of energy and the Environmental Protection Agency many of which pushed out the door in the waiting days of the Biden Harris Administration the heal subcommittee will also hold a hearing tomorrow
▶ 0:15:49its second one examining the prescription drug supply chain especially the role of Pharmacy benefit managers it's already clear we have many critical issues to tackle this Con on behalf of the American people that is why the committee's oversight plan is wide ranging and well balanced to be clear this plan is not exhaustive and there is plenty of work to do that may not be expressly stated here that said the plan covers a lot of ground again demonstrating the breadth of the committee's jurisdiction as is the tradition
▶ 0:16:19for House Republicans we appreciate not only the opportunity for all our committee members to review the authorization oversight plan but also to vote on it therefore I look forward to our discussion today and I'll urge a yes vote on the oversight plan and now I'll recognize ranking member palone for his opening statement thank you chairman Guth today's markup of the committee's oversight plan comes at an important moment for our country and for congress with both today's vote on the budget resolution and this markup
▶ 0:16:50of the committee's oversight plan we have an opportunity to show what we stand for and who we are willing to fight for House Republicans are planning to vote later today on a cruel budget resolution that directs this committee to cut at least $880 billion these cuts are expected to come from the Medicaid Program the program that provides health coverage to one in three Americans if Republicans move ahead with this budget proposal millions of Americans will lose their health care coverage also repu
▶ 0:17:20all so that Republicans can give billionaires and big corporations giant tax breaks imagine that stripping Health Care away from children parents and seniors all so they can give Elon Musk and his buddies a giant tax break a Democrat Stand United against the house Republican budget scheme we will never support cutting Medicaid to give handouts to billionaires and if just three Republicans join us today we can protect American families and stop this budget betrayal committee Republicans
▶ 0:17:50also have a choice to make today about whether or not they're going to finally do their jobs and stand up to president Trump's actions to consolidate power in the White House house to the detriment of the American people oversight requires asking tough questions and demanding answers from the president and the federal agencies in order to hold them accountable on behalf of the American people for their actions committee Republicans have silently watched as president Trump and Elon Musk have stolen from the American people by illegally withholding funds approved
▶ 0:18:20by Congress to date Republicans have refused to ask any questions as crucial investments in our districts to bolster domestic Manufacturing protect public health and the cures of tomorrow and keep our drinking water safe and clean are being withheld by the Trump Administration committee Republicans have silently watched as Elon Musk and his minions are seeking the personal financial and Health Care information of every American this is a serious invasion of the American people's privacy we have no idea what they're doing with this information for
▶ 0:18:51all we know musk could be using it to benefit his own companies but instead of demanding answers House Republicans are siding with musk and refusing do anything to protect this sensitive data and committee Republicans have silently watched as musk and his minions indiscriminately terminate hundreds of thousands of federal workers throughout the nation who are working to serve the public good and to address the needs of the American people public servants across the board were terminated that includes federal workers involved in nuclear safety monitoring the growing threat of the
▶ 0:19:21bird flu fighting wildfires ensuring that our food is safe to eat and that air travel is safe too in these terminations have been chaotic some employees receive a message their fared one day only to learn the next that it was a mistake musk is comfortable moving fast and breaking things but when American lives are on the line that's a recipe for disaster they're also moving ahead with these Mass firings without any review of a worker's work history or any analysis the impact that job losses will have on the government's ability to help Americans
▶ 0:19:51it's been a total Fiasco and has shown how incompetent the must team is now committee Democrats will not remain silent we have been demanding answers from the administration since day one and we're not going to stop but it's time for committee Republicans to do their job as it stands the committee Republicans oversight plan does not address these serious issues in fact it is nearly identical to the plan put forward two years ago despite the dramatically different reality that we're now facing and this is not an acceptable oversight plan for this Congress
▶ 0:20:22and the extreme challenges we face with President Trump and the White House that's why committee Democrats will be offering Amendment is to strengthen the plan so that we're not only holding this Administration accountable but also fighting to ensure the government works for everyone I'm hopeful that Republicans will recognize the need to strengthen this plan and join us in supporting these amendments and with that Mr chairman I you'll back the balance of my time thank you the ranking member yields back and the chairman reminds members that pursuant to committee rules all members opening statements will be made part of the record
▶ 0:20:52are there any further opening statements any on the Republican side any on the Democrat side I want to strike the last word whenever you're ready your opening statement or we we bring an amendment up okay opening stat you want opening statement so we'll strike the last word when there's a u Amendment up before us you want to wait to the amendment pres okay when I call up the plan okay when I
▶ 0:21:22call the G lady from Florida you're recognized for three minutes thank you Mr chairman um I want to make sure that right at the get-go of this this hearing we we call out the hypocrisy and and trying to get by and say this is all business as usual right now look in Energy and Commerce we're going to adopt an oversight plan while everything happening outside of these walls is completely outrageous how about the first week of the Congress the new
▶ 0:21:53president fires 17 inspectors General who are who are responsible for rooting out waste Fraud and Abuse that law has been on the book since 1978 where we rely on inspectors General and in this committee for HHS for the Department of energy for EPA to root out waste Fraud and Abuse and give us non-partisan uh recommendations I haven't heard one peep from Republicans to say that that is outrageous to fire these nonpartisan
▶ 0:22:23IGS how about the firing and gutting of the FBI and the the Department of Justice the public Integrity section uh here in DC resigned after the Trump Administration tried to use doj in a coercive corrupt way regarding the mayor of New York City how about what the president has done to suspend the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act the law that says that American companies can't bribe foreign
▶ 0:22:54countries he's taken that law off the books that I haven't heard one peep how about some oversight on that how about I haven't heard any Republicans talk about the firing of the head of the agency that protects whistleblowers I haven't heard one uh one suggestion that we should do oversight when it comes to the firing of the head of government ethics the office that is responsible for policing conflicts of interest and financial disclosure
▶ 0:23:24uh I haven't heard anything your silence has been deafening when the uh new president and Elon Musk came in and said we're just going to stop uh the funds flowing per our congressionally mandated responsibility to make sure that people are healthy and well in America that was illegal to do how about oversight on that this is not business as usual and I don't want us to start off this this um
▶ 0:23:54hearing today on the oversight plan to say this is just nothing to look at here because this is irresponsible it's Reckless it's corrupt you're you're sanctioning taking all the cops off the beat that make uh make government work for people do you just want to blow it all up apparently so so you're going to hear some debate today because you have you bear responsibility for this if you're not going to speak up in the face of illegality
▶ 0:24:25and Corruption and uh the this Mass firing and Purge of government officials that are responsible for ethics and oversight then we're going to make sure that the American people understand what is happening here they you're I know you're hearing it at home just like we are and they are not the American people are not going to stand for this kind of corruption you uh and I'm that's just the beginning I'm sorry I'm out of time but I you'll hear from us all day today on this thank you lady Ys back any
▶ 0:24:55opening statement on the Republican side any further opening statements on the Democrat side seeing none the chairman now calls up the committee on energy commerce authorized authorization and oversight plan for 119th Congress and ask the clerk to report authorization and oversight plan of the committee on Energy and Commerce US House of Representatives 119th Congress without objection the first reading of the authorization oversight plan is dispens with and the resolution will be open for Amendment at any point
▶ 0:25:25the Gent lady from Colorado what purpose you see recognition the last word g ladies recognize thank you very much Mr chairman Mr chairman this plan seems generally like the plan from the8th Congress but of course since that Congress the Administration has changed and now we have an unelected billionaire Elon Musk and his illegal agency Doge which are um undertaking certain functions seems to me that this committee would normally perform
▶ 0:25:55by or that would be normally performed by agencies under this committee's jurisdiction and so if I may I have a few questions about this plan to clarify that I would like to ask Council first of all page two of the oversight plan includes the following the quote the committee will conduct oversight of the National Institutes of Health and the role of federal agencies in research and grantmaking policies and procedures including F how the federal agencies uh approve and monitor
▶ 0:26:25grants and subg grantees and the use of direct cost to ensure the safe appropriate and efficient use of federal tax dollars I would like to ask Council if this includes oversight of the Trump administration's illegal attempt to cap finance and administration costs for NIH grantees would the investigations that have our Council you can
▶ 0:26:56answer from here our council's going down to inch ma'am could you repeat the last part of the question yes would would the um oversight of the NIH and the role of federal agencies in research
▶ 0:27:26include oversight of the Trump administ ations illegal attempt to cap finance and administration costs for grantees at the NIH I'm going to Echo what the chairman said in his opening statement this oversight plan is inclusive not exclusive I will look forward to that I'm not in a position to lay out what the what every single priority is that's up to the chairman and the members of the committee okay so I'll ask the chairman later then does this include oversight of the delays in Grant making in the early days
▶ 0:27:56of the Trump Administration including prohibiting NIH employees from announcing meetings on the Federal Register and thus preventing grantmaking panels from meeting and what appears to be an attempt to circumvent the court ordered unfreezing NIH Grant making there the oversight plan the authorization and oversight plan for the 119th Congress for this committee is not exhaustive it's inclusive if these topics are covered in hearings over the course of this Congress those will be questions
▶ 0:28:26that the members on the will be able to ask to the appropriate officials I'm going to I'm going to uh take that to be a yes Under The Heading healthc care cost page three of the oversight plan it states that ENC will quote examine issues related to the affordability of healthc care including areas where the federal government intervention has contributed to increased costs for patients and families now vaccines as we know are costeffective and proven tool for preventing communicable disease and
▶ 0:28:56the cost associated so here's my question Council will this oversight extend to examining how secretary Kennedy has and continues to spread disinformation about vaccines which would lead to unnecessary illnesses deaths and Health Care expenditures that's a policy question should be directed to no no sir I'm just asking if it would include those issues around around secretary Kennedy's views on vaccines ma'am again this oversight plan as
▶ 0:29:26a chairman said at the set it's not exhaustive and there'll be plenty of opportunities to examine issues through the course of the Congress at our hearings and ask the questions right so I'm going to also take that as a yes now on page two of the oversight plan there's an intention to examine authorities related to preparing for and responding to chemical biological radiological or nuclear threats and to reauthorize the quote reauthorize those necessary with appropriate changes to reflect the abuse of power and lack of
▶ 0:29:56transparency inide scientific recommendations witnessed during the covid-19 pandemic um so I'm just going to ask you would this include oversight of President Trump saying covid-19 would simply vanish or him encouraging injected disinfectant as a solution for covid-19 again this is a policy question this is this is a markup of the oversight plan considering and it's very reflective of past congresses for the Republican majority and so again I think
▶ 0:30:27you know you'll be able to ask these questions in the appropriate time and manner but asking here during the mark of the oversight plan so so what I'm hearing Council say Mr chairman is that all of these issues would be included within the plan and you can bet we intend to ask those questions as the hearings proceed thank you Mr General Edie yields back are there any Amendment are there any bipartisan amendments to the work plan seeing none are there any amendments to the work plan
▶ 0:30:58the gentleman from New Jersey is recognized what what purpose gentleman from New Jersey seat recognition uh to speak on Amendment 01 D4 which I sponsored oh I'm sorry oi oi4 like oversight I guess the clerk will report the amendment amendment to draft oversight plan oi number four on page 14 without objection the reading of the amendment is dispensed with and the gentleman is recognized
▶ 0:31:28for 5 minutes in support of the amendment thank you Mr chairman this amendment would add to the committee's oversight plan a commitment to examine the Trump administration's funding freeze whether that funding freeze violates the Constitution and whether the administration is complying with court orders that require the funding freeze to stop conducting this oversight is essential to ensuring that the balance of powers is respected in this Congress the voice of the people in our democracy is not silenced on his very first day in office president
▶ 0:31:58Trump violated the Constitution by issuing an executive order that stopped congressionally obligated funds from being dispersed these were funds that Congress promised the American people and on day one Trump essentially or Trump decided to steal this money from the American people from businesses and our communities since then the Administration has issued other orders including guidance by om that was eventually withdrawn and put a stop to virtually all federal funding they've also taken other steps to block money from going out through programs
▶ 0:32:28that this committee has jurisdiction over at HHS doe and EPA now these loans grants and other types of funding improve the quality of American lives substance abuse treatment clinics rely on Federal grant funding cancer research does as well the low income home energy assistance program which helps ensure Americans do not freeze in their homes is funded by the federal government as are numerous projects aimed at growing renewable energy sources and lowering energy costs and SE efforts to remove the lead pipes from drinking water systems federal
▶ 0:32:59funds also ensure that Americans can manufacture semiconductors and microchips domestically to compete with our adversaries and fuel Innovation other Federal programs work to provide all Americans with reliable high-speed internet now the courts have issued restraining orders against this funding freeze requiring that the administration release these promised funds but it does not appear and I can tell you from my own experience in New Jersey it does not appear that agencies are complying with court orders and some appear to be manufacturing excuses and
▶ 0:33:29procedural hurdles as an excuse to not comply with the courts this is a constitutional crisis in my opinion when the executive branch ignores Congress by refusing to spend appropriated funds and then ignores court orders requiring that they do so our system of checks and balances falls apart now committee Democrats have already begun oversight by sending letters to HHS do doe EPA and commerce asking for information from each agency about effective
▶ 0:33:59programs and compliance with court orders to date only EPA has responded and it did not meaningfully answer the questions that we asked and I would remind the chairman which she knows that oversight uh is not just hearings it's also investigations it's also questions that you ask of agencies the bottom line is that the Trump administration's freeze on funding was unconstitutional begin with it is our job here in Congress to decide what money is spent and how it's spent not the president and certainly not Elon
▶ 0:34:30Musk and to protect the role of Congress and to protect our constituents from a president who's stealing this money from the American people the committee must stand up to the president and conduct oversight on what the executive branch has done here and why it believes it can continue to ignore Congress and the courts and that's why Mr chairman I'm uh offering uh this amendment I yield back gentleman yields back and I would like to recognize myself to speak in opposition to the amendment the proposed oversight plan contemplates oversight
▶ 0:35:00and accountability of spending at the Departments and agencies under our jurisdiction and moreover the oversight plan is inclusive it is not exhaustive and lastly related to the article three courts uh in the Constitution uh is left to the Judiciary article three the Judiciary Authority is vested in Supreme Court and other courts as Congress may see fit to establish in congress's role as a legislate and so we should deal with this with the legislator process not through a judicial process and this amendment
▶ 0:35:31is unnecessary and I would encourage my colleagues to oppose the amendment and I will yield to the gentleman from Alabama Mr Palmer Mr chairman I think you accurately articulated uh the reasons why with this amendment should be voted down um we have responsibility in Congress to handle the legislative functions and and I think we will do that in due time I yield back gentleman yields back I yield back my time is there anyone else seeking recognition to speak the gentle lady from Virginia is
▶ 0:36:01recognized for five minutes to speak on the amendment thank you thank you Mr chair I move to strike the last word gentleman recognized gentl ladies recognized sorry these funding freezes have had real consequences in our communities right now um after the funding freeze community health centers in Virginia had to close their doors because they couldn't access funding from the federal government to pay their staff and stay in business business these community health centers provide essential services such
▶ 0:36:31as preventing and treating substance abuse disorders delivering primary care and dental care and offering lowcost prescription drugs and for many families especially in rural areas they already have to travel far they already live in healthc care dist uh deserts and Pharmacy deserts and the president's funding freeze um made that situation even worse just yesterday there was an article that came out um in one of my local papers that talked
▶ 0:37:01about the increase in the number of Pharmacy deserts in Virginia there are 51 Pharmacy de deserts um and these have all been identified in areas that have higher proportions of black residents uninsured individuals or individuals only covered by Medicare and Medicaid low-income households um and areas of poverty and it identified two Pharmacy deserts in Manchester and Fulton neighborhoods
▶ 0:37:31in the city of Richmond which I represent and earlier this month directly in response to the president's funding freeze the capitol Area Health Network had to close its doors in both its Manchester and Fulton locations and those patients who had appointments were told your appointments have been cancelled you need to go to a different Health Center and the pharmacies that are in those health centers are now not available
▶ 0:38:02to those patients getting rid of one of the few pharmacies that exist in those Pharmacy deserts I also spent some time in the southern part of my district which is very rural uh during the break these are people who many of whom work in Newport News for the shipyard many of whom have to drive either to Richmond or new report news um for healthc care
▶ 0:38:32and when the Southside Community Health Center closed which is about halfway between the southern part of my district and the City of Richmond those folks now have to drive an extra 30 minutes to get access to Essential Health Care and so the reason I support this amendment is because these funding this is just one example of many how an illegal funding free that the courts have said reverse are still
▶ 0:39:02having an impact on vulnerable communities for people who just want to be able to get their prescriptions filled for life-saving medicines or get access to preventative care or emergency care and these funding freezes have made it even harder these are these are our neighbors these are our friends these are our veterans these are Caregivers for many of our other families and we cannot sit by while the administration ignores court orders when
▶ 0:39:32those court orders could literally be life and death for many of our constituents thank you and I Y back General 's back thank you I will just remind that that we got several amendments so I'm going to stick to the five minutes so thank you for yielding back and so next I had the general lady from California then gentleman from Ohio well any Republicans General lady from California recognized for five minutes uh thank you Mr chairman um I just want to make sure that everybody at home knows what's happening today what we're hearing what we're doing here today
▶ 0:40:02in this committee is we're adopting a oversight plan this is the plan of what this committee will conduct oversight in this Congress in the short time since we've had a new president there has been chaos and a slew of executive orders that have caused impacts on our constituents across the country this particular amendment is about f funding free it's about basically what I call the Trump shutdown the sh shutdown of
▶ 0:40:33dollars that Congress has allocated and the need for this committee to provide oversight on those impacts now the oversight plan I'm going to read from the actual document says this is supposed to include where the committee expects to conduct oversight in the 119 Congress later on it says the committee on Energy and Commerce will hold hearings and conduct rigorous oversight over matters within its jurisdiction well impacts on community health clinics are within our jurisdiction funding for the National
▶ 0:41:03Institutes of Health are in our jurisdiction my colleagues on the other side of the aisle you can't see them on camera but they're laughing this is no laughing matter this is a serious matter about what is happening to the American people and the impacts and the concern about access to health care I've heard from constituents and non-c constituents AC Ross the country and why does this need to be put in writing frankly because we cannot
▶ 0:41:33trust that the other side is going to actually provide oversight why do I think that because Republicans have been totally silent where have they been standing up for their constituents where have they been standing up for their Community clinics nowhere total silence why because they are deathly afraid of Donald Trump they are deathly afraid of this president president so why are amendments needed to this V very general oversight plan cuz there's not a
▶ 0:42:03single mention of providing that oversight and we have specific instances right now of things that have actually happened like the funding freeze so yes it needs to be added to this oversight plan this is the time to do it why because if it's not done Our House Republicans who set the agenda can decide not even to hold an investigation or a hearing on the matter and
▶ 0:42:33that is why this amendment is needed and that's why the rest of the Amendments that we are proposing on the Democratic side need to be put into this oversight plan and with that I yield back thank you the gentle lady yels back anyone on the Republican side seeing none gentleman from Ohio you recognize for five minutes to speak on the amendment uh thank you Mr chair I moved to strike the last word and speak on the the purpose as my colleague just mentioned of this hearing is is
▶ 0:43:04is around our oversight responsibilities and the amendment gets at our responsibility our duty uh to ask questions and to hold people accountable uh for in this case adhering to court orders around unlawful uh withholding of federal and obviously and and
▶ 0:43:34this has huge implications for our communities people have been uh uh they've lost their jobs whether they work for the federal government or uh or not the federal freezes have eliminated uh roles people are I mean unemployment is going up because of this uh and healthc Care is diminished I guess my my question and and and I I hope this is in order is the the chair said and and maybe I just misheard
▶ 0:44:04it was that the objection to the amendment is is that the constitution grants the the Congress the responsibility to legislate but it's it's not just to legislate our our role is to is to provide oversight too oversight to Federal uh ruem how funds are spent waste Fraud and Abuse I think the American people are very frustrated with the fact that this Congress has not asked any questions
▶ 0:44:34any questions whatso all whatsoever about what's happening with the the president and with musk the data breaches the the the withholding of funds uh the indiscriminate firing of people and as we sit here uh and and and and look at a budget that's being proposed that will slash uh Health Care from tens of Millions ions of where where is the understanding coming from that we're
▶ 0:45:04not responsible for oversight that we aren't responsible to bring these people in and ask questions at least ask questions as to where this money is why it's being withh withheld the impact it's going to have on people's lives isn't that in the Constitution of the States I mean this is Article 1 Section 8 that says that we are responsible for oversight at what point do we do that at what point does the majority say we are going to take this seriously and we're going to at least ask questions we're going to
▶ 0:45:35bring in folks from the administration and say how is this legal I yield back Jim and yelds back anyone else speak seeking recognition to speak on the amendment gentleman from Alabama thanks from Alabama oh you that's right I guil to you so you're recognized you have your five minutes to speak on the am thank you Mr chairman I won't need it I just remind my colleagues on both sides of the aisle that the Biden Administration refused to um uh
▶ 0:46:05spent the money that was allocated by Congress for building a border wall and in fact tried to redirect it and it took a court order to stop that action I yield back giman yields back is there any other discussion seeing none okay if there's no further discussion the vote occurs on the amendment a roll call has been requested Mr um the the gentleman from New Jersey requested a roll call vote and the clerk were will call the row
▶ 0:46:35Mr L no Mr L votes no Mr Griffith no Mr Griffith votes no Mr bacus no Mr bakus votes no Mr Hudson no Mr Hudson votes no Mr Carter of Georgia Mr Palmer Mr Palmer votes no Mr Dunn Mr Dunn votes no Mr kenshaw Mr Joyce no Mr Joyce votes no Mr Weber Mr Weber votes no Mr Allen Mr Allen votes no Mr balderson Mr balderson votes no Mr U Mr
▶ 0:47:06fure Mr fure votes no Mr fluger Mr fluger votes no Mrs harburger Mrs harburger votes no Mrs Miller Meeks Mrs Miller Meeks votes no Mrs kamik Mrs kamik votes no Mr oberti Mr oberti votes no Mr James Mr James votes no Mr B Mr B votes no Mrs hin Mrs hin votes no Mr Fry Miss Lee Mr Langworthy Mr Langworthy votes no
▶ 0:47:37Kane Mr rouy Mr Ry votes no Mr Evans Mr Evans votes no Mr Goldman Mr Goldman votes no fedorek Mrs fedorek votes no Mr palone I Mr palone votes I miss deette I miss deette votes I miss chowski I miss chikowski votes I miss Matsui I miss Matsui votes I miss Caster Miss Caster votes I Mr tonko I Mr tonko votes I miss Clark
▶ 0:48:08I miss Clark votes I Mr Ruiz Mr Ruiz votes I Mr Peters Mr Peters votes I Mrs Dingle Mrs Dingle votes I Mr VC Miss Kelly Miss Kelly votes I miss beragon miss beragon vot votes I Mr SoDo Mr SoDo votes I miss shrier miss shrier votes i m Tran M Tran votes I miss Fletcher Miss Ocasio Cortez
▶ 0:48:38Miss Ocasio Cortez votes I Mr aen Claus Mr aen Claus votes I Mr Carter of Louisiana Mr Carter of Louisiana votes I Mr Mendez Mr Mendez votes I Mr Mullen Mr lansman Mr lansman votes i m McCullen Miss McCullen votes I chairman Guthrie I vote no how's Miss Fletcher chairman got three votes no
▶ 0:49:09Fletcher Miss Fletcher votes I anyone Mr Kane Mr Kane votes I sorry Mr Kane votes no anyone else seeking recognition to call the row okay Mr f Mr Fry recorded Mr Fry is not recorded Mr Fry votes no
▶ 0:50:03Mr Carter of Georgia is not recorded Mr Carter votes no the clerk will report chairman Guthrie on that vote there were 22 eyes and 28 nose with 22 I and 28 knows the amendment is not agreed to are there further amendments GLE lady what purpose you seek recognition thank you Mr chairman I have an amendment at the desk H E6 the clerk will
▶ 0:50:33report what did you state the amendment again I'm sorry H E6 H E6 amendment to draft oversight plan H6 on page four under the section food without objection the reading of the amendment is dispense with and the g lady from Colorado is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment thank you so much Mr chairman uh my amendment is relatively simple it says the committee will examine the impact of the administration's termination of employees
▶ 0:51:04on the ability of HHS to effectively protect the public health now Mr chairman I was appreciative that you and Council when I was asking my questions said that this that this plan is inclusive but not exhaustive but as I know from my many years in Congress it's inclusive to what the chairman in the majority party want to have hearings about in oversight investigations and also investigations I think that it's really critical that we
▶ 0:51:34have specific instruction in our oversight plan that we need to look at the impact of termination of employees of HHS in the past couple of weeks Donald Trump and Elon Musk have moved to lay off thousands of HHS employees how many have been laid off well the exact numberers unclear but news reports suggest at least at least 2500 and maybe many more my staff and I have been asking HHS for an accounting of layoffs since February
▶ 0:52:0514th but in a stunning lack of transparency HHS has not provided any of these basic facts Elon Musk and his doge minions are firing federal workers indiscriminately and seemingly without regard to workers performance or function the fir rings are aimed at the easiest people to fire people on probationary status and they're not being carried out in a way that bears any semblance to protecting public health
▶ 0:52:35and serving the American people no plan has been articulated and so one has to ask what's the goal here because to me and my constituents Elon Musk Donald Trump and doas actions frankly appear childish and chaotic the United States is should be a Bastion of consistency and reliability especially in the area of Public Health at FDA 89 people in the human foods program
▶ 0:53:05had been laid off per for per former program director Jim Jones 89 people in the human foods program the people who make sure our food is safe have been laid off this includes nine people who study chemical food additives and keep dangerous chemicals from the food supply a goal is new Administration has played lip service to sharing and I'm sure that that you Mr chairman and the Republicans on this committee also say that you share
▶ 0:53:35at NIH workers researching to understand and eventually cure cancer were fired these Cuts will slow down cures and cost lives each day new breakthroughs are delayed for any reason political or otherwise is a day that a family cannot fight fight a disease of one of their loved ones and now NIH directors have been told that they must cut back Personnel by 10% at
▶ 0:54:05the NIH many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have worked with me for decades to increase NIH research to help find cures more quickly for everybody how does just laying off 10% of those workers help us number one with American Supremacy in biomedical research and number two in in in finding these cures that we need even the new Administration seems to have
▶ 0:54:35recognized at times that the chaos has been harmful to Public Health apparently the administration is now scrambling to hire back Center for devices and radiological Health employees who were fired as this politic a part of this politically motivated and ill-conceived Purge look Congress is the people's house Elon Musk and Doge are ignoring congress's directives in slashing the federal Workforce and preventing the Executive Branch from carrying out our instructions in
▶ 0:55:06the meantime I have seen no effort by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to help us resolve these chaos this chaos this chaos that impacts the very basic health care research we're trying to do in this country that we all work together on every day we've got to examine how these firings impact HHH Miss HHS missions and diminish American competitiveness my amendment is simple it's a simple
▶ 0:55:36one and I think we should have a hearing maybe next week if we can I would seek to examine the impact of Doge firings on hhs's Mission and ability to protect Health this should be a no-brainer and honestly I'm baffled if anybody would not vote for this amendment I ask for your support and I yield back G Ed yields back the CH recognize the gentleman from Georgia for five minutes on the amendment thank you Mr chairman Mr chairman Republicans have always been
▶ 0:56:06strong star worths of innovation and research with the goal of ensuring our patients are healthier and our health systems are stronger and more efficient however as we witnessed during the covid-19 V pandemic our Public Health agencies at a fully staffed level I would like to point out failed in a lot of ways gaps were exposed fault lines were discovered and people's trust has been broken before jumping to conclusions about the decisions that were made
▶ 0:56:36let us remind you it has been barely a week since these notices went out the American people clearly support the president's goals of eliminating government waste and bloat and they want us to streamline our regulatory bodies so before jumping to unsubstantiated claims that these Cuts will hinder such innov ation and research are negatively impact our preparedness and response infrastructure let us take a moment to look and see what further action the administration takes
▶ 0:57:06to improve the efficiency the transparency and overall effectiveness of our Public Health System let us all reflect on how we can work to improve the infrastructure that failed US during covid-19 and it did fail us we all want our Public Health System to work to ensure our patients to get healthier so let's get the administration the opportunity to do so after all the Mandate they were given in November what 77 million people voted for what 77 million people
▶ 0:57:36said was yes we want to change yes we want to see what this President can do Mr chairman I yield back well the gentleman yield I yield um so so I would just say to my chairman all these things you are saying we need to see how this is going to work that's exactly what this amendment says let's have a hearing on it and see if it's working that's all I'm saying let's have a hearing and see if these labor cuts it to HHS are actually achieving these reclaiming my time
▶ 0:58:07Mr chairman I believe the the the gentle lady said earlier she wanted to have the hearing next week so we're going to make these kind of determinations in only a two week period I think it's going to take a little bit longer than that for us to to understand exactly how this works neeld's back the chair recogniz gentleman from Cal the gentleman from California that's you first here we go gentlemen thank you thank you Mr chairman first of all let's
▶ 0:58:38be clear there is no mandate president B uh Trump did not win more than 50% of the American population's vote let's stop this nonsense it's only aoy to try to make it seem as if these policies are extremely popular with the American people and I can tell you that they're not popular right now when you talk about illegally freezing or illegally making sure that programs and the funding that Congress directs
▶ 0:59:08to the administration are not carried out as intended uh I also need to make a a argue under the premise that the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect us during covid-19 that failed that's absolutely wrong it's demoralizing and it is also manufacturing distrust against the institutions that got us out of the pandemic
▶ 0:59:39I mean let's look at where the Biden Administration was when they inherited the uh problems that the Trump Administration left behind there was over a thousand people a day dying from covid-19 because of the men and women from the FDA and the CDC and and HHS that got together and helped us develop uh the vaccine uh and the massive record-breaking distribution of
▶ 1:00:09That vaccine and collaboration with States we were able to put kids back in schools people back into jobs we were able to reduce the transmission of the vaccine we were able to save lives and look we're here now without a mask we're here now being able to do our daily functions without having to be careful or concerned about a deadly Airborne virus coming around to put you in the ICU or to take your life so
▶ 1:00:39I strongly disagree with that premise Mr chairman that the fine men and women who protected us and carried through the implementation of the Public's Health uh programs that got us out of the pandemic that somehow they failed us what did fail was the manufacturing of distrust that the Republicans on the other side repeated over and over again saying that somehow vaccines were going to
▶ 1:01:10cause more risk of acquiring covid-19 quote unquote in some of our committee hearings in the select subcommittee on the Corona virus pandemic or that somehow wearing a mask to prevent Aeros uh droplets in the air to protect others from breathing that in that somehow that was child abuse or that was going to cause you to to get sick even more
▶ 1:01:40I mean all of these complete scientifically provenly false claims that somehow these conspiracies get into the psych of the American people that there was some kind of deep State collaboration between our Public Health leaders who collaborated with China and others that somehow you know knew this was happening and covered it up that's continues to be the conspiracy theory narrative
▶ 1:02:11regarding the pandemic and all of that manufacturers distrust so no you're not going to get away with it no the fine people that work at CDC HHS NIH are still working Tire ly to keep us safe and you cut those jobs they're not going to be able to help us rapidly develop That vaccine you cut those jobs we're not going to be able to monitor a new pandemic virus emerging in another country or even here in our own country
▶ 1:02:41you cut those jobs we won't be able to communicate with the American people about the safest way to keep our country and our public healthy so with that I agree with this amendment uh I urge everybody to vote Yes Y and I yield to uh representative Peters I only need 20 seconds I just I I want to say I agree with Mr Carter the the sum total of this amendment is this the committee will examine the impact of the administration's termination of employees
▶ 1:03:12on the ability of HHS to effectively protect the public health is there anyone in here doesn't want to do that we don't we're not going to do it today and we don't have to do it next week this doesn't say next week all it says is we will examine the effect of these terminations on the ability to protect Public Health this seems like something we shouldn't be fighting over with that a yield back and so in other words you agree with this amendment uh and vote Yes to ensure that these that these uh these Cuts don't affect their ability to implement what they're assigned to do I yield back
▶ 1:03:42thank gentleman yels back is anyone seeking recognition on the amendment I will recognize myself for five minutes and yield to the gentleman Georgia Thank You gentleman for yielding Mr chairman as you have state at the beginning of this of this hearing and it has been stated all along this plan is not exclusive it is inclusive and we know as we move on that we're going to have to address a number of different things this is the
▶ 1:04:12most this this committee has the most jurisdiction the broadest jurisdiction of any Committee in Congress we should keep that in mind it would be virtually impossible for us to include in this plan everything thing that we're going to be looking at so I remind my my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that we are going to be looking at things as we go along it is going to be inclusive but this is not exclusive we can't possibly
▶ 1:04:42list everything and that's why that's why this amendment is not necessary and I encourage I encourage my fellow colleagues to vote against this amendment and I yield back and one yields back to me is there any anybody requ same time on my side seeing none I will yeld back and I'll recognize G lady from Washington in New York next uh thank you Mr chairman I I uh move to strike the last word and
▶ 1:05:12support Miss dut's uh Amendment uh you know uh a lot what we've been seeing is taking a hatchet to the federal government at least 10% cuts across the board I I actually just took a moment uh to jot down 10 things off the top of my head that the FDA does and I wanted to just see which of these 10 things anybody would like to do away with so let's start with this the FDA keeps
▶ 1:05:43our food safe thought I'd mention that as we think about going to the supermarket and how much we're paying uh it investigates outbreaks you know I I took care of some kids as a a pediatrician and and their mom was one of the kids who got sick in that Jack in the Box outbreak almost died from it FDA got to the bottom of that remember the baby formula issue just about a year or two ago that's the fda's job okay so that's two
▶ 1:06:13um number three keeps the drugs we take safe and make sure that they are safe and effective and as we all hunger for drugs to treat Alzheimer's for for example we're counting on the FDA to speed those to uh medical devices they regulate those as well I use an insulin pump probably somebody in this room and if they're not they probably will be soon use as a pacemaker and I think we all want to know
▶ 1:06:44that those are safe all right here's number five a approves uh medical tests we saw the benefit of Home testing during the pandemic uh number six medications for Animals think about our food supply chain and wanting to make sure those animals are healthy not just for their own sake for but for our uh human health sake what about immunizations a Hot
▶ 1:07:14Topic these days and you'll probably hear from me the pediatrician again about this today uh approve approving them making sure they are safe and effective you know they also in respect and regulate blood banks I don't know if anybody in this room has required a blood transfusion probably somebody out there listening has but boy I want to make sure that that blood is not tainted and is safe for me in an emergency uh number nine oversight of clinical trials that's
▶ 1:07:44part of making sure that our drugs work our immunizations work and we have good data behind it and then um I thought I would Circle back to number 10 uh vaccinations for Animals you know I have uh Willcox eggs in my district uh if you go to Costco and Washington State you're getting Willcox eggs they are a massive producer uh very afraid of what would happen uh as all
▶ 1:08:14of us are if their chickens were infected with bird flu uh they can't wait to get a vaccine to protect their birds and uh the FDA would be the organization to approve that uh so I want to know like if we're talking about a 10% cut which of those 10 do you want to cut have my colleagues thought about that and the work that they do and how important it is to all of us I I also just
▶ 1:08:45also wanted to remark on the term the people want because we've been hearing a lot of that in the news in my colleagues talking points the people want and I just want want to tell you that first of all uh there is no mandate here second of all the people in my district they want safe food safe Medical Systems safe medicines safe devices and safe blood when they are in an emergency I yield back
▶ 1:09:16General Ed yields back Bob would you give you want to take minutes gentleman from Ohio uh thank you Mr chairman U strike the last word gentleman's recognize and I yield my time to the chair of the full committee thanks I I appreciate what my friend from Washington Dr from Washington um has said and and in the committee work plan it says the committee will work to ensure the FDA is fulfilling its mission to ensure that regulated drugs medical devices are safe your lists effective
▶ 1:09:46and available to American patients in an expeditious fashion and I will tell you that we will monitor it and we will make sure we also want them to be icient we don't want to waste taxpayer dollars we and all the things that that doge is trying to do we also want to we will ensure that FDA is is operating to make sure our citizens as my friend from Colorado talked about and you've talked about have safe effective drugs in an expeditious fashion and we'll have oversight to make sure that happens
▶ 1:10:17and I will yeld back to gent from Ohio who yields back thank you Mr and so we had the general lady from New York we're taking recognition gent ladies recognize thank you move to move to strike the last word thank you Mr chairman U you know I think it's important to uh one of the comments was made earlier is this idea that our concerns around our Medical Systems and research is unsubstantiated that it's quote been just a week but
▶ 1:10:47as someone who represents a large Hospital Network that receives a lot of research funds telling people to wait that is just been a week that we don't need to to be so concerned I think you should tell that to someone with an experimental Pac maker that's inserted in their body right now whose uh research is now imperiled we've got folks in these researchers people who support this research that have just been laid off
▶ 1:11:18people with medical devices experimental medical devices implanted in their body that have been abandoned due to this Reckless idea that we can just come in and lay off dozens of public servants as though their work does not matter as though it has no impact on everyday people as though these breakthroughs are not imperil the way that scientific research works you
▶ 1:11:48can't just blip things and turn things off cancer research medical research short-term term research cell cultures these are not things that you can just take out of a fridge dump it and put it back in again companies when we talk about innovation in our treatments companies are working to try to get these approved and these kinds of blips and dis and delays and dis and disruptions in sensitive scientific
▶ 1:12:18processes May Force these experiments to start all over again delaying approvals by months if not even years this amendment is very simple it is not asking for extra dollars it is not asking for large changes it is not asking for structural shifts it is saying that we need to examine these disruptions and the impacts that they have been having on everyday people to make sure that people are still safe
▶ 1:12:49and respectfully as it pertains to the FDA already being mentioned in oversight plans in previous oversight plans one thing that is not included in previous oversight plans that is different from today is Doge Doge did not exist two years ago 19-year-olds were not raiding the treasury two years ago people who have no idea with medical background have not been hauling in and creating kangaroo Courts for scientists to dismiss them two years ago that started happening now
▶ 1:13:19Elon Musk is not a scientist he is not an engineer he is a billionaire con man with a lot of money he does not have this kind of good background and in fact if we while there's some disruption over that I I sincerely ask you all I sincerely ask you all to examine what expertise he has in approving medical devices in biomedical engineering devices and if you all think that he is an expert in that I've
▶ 1:13:50got a bridge to knowwhere to sell you these are people's lives that are on the line and we cannot laugh them away genuinely please I am asking you to please support this amendment for the people who have medical devices stuck in their body thank you and I yield back General lady yields back is there anyone on the Republican side seeing none the general from Ohio is recognized for five minutes yeah thank you uh move to strike the last sentence in support of the amendment I I am legitimately confused
▶ 1:14:20um people are being indiscriminately fired and while this committee has jurisdiction over a lot it doesn't have a jurisdiction over everything but it certainly has jurisdiction over Health and Human Services and the FDA and everything that is going to impact People's Health Care tens of thousands of public servants have been fired all the amendment says is that we should care that this committee
▶ 1:14:51should provide some oversight to push and prod and ask questions what is the impact of these firings on the people that we serve why are people so afraid of this guy and if not him why not bring in these kids that are in our data system that are in the payment systems that that are doing the indiscriminate firing firings
▶ 1:15:22of of people that are are doing critically important jobs why why not bring the kids in and say like what are doing how is this going to impact People's Health Care that's all the amendment does it's not adding to my colleague's point adding anything other than language that says we are going to care we are going to bring folks in and ask questions it's a it's a few dozen sentences not this amendment all of the Amendments
▶ 1:15:52all of the Amendments It's a if you add it all up it's a few pages wh why why is this not all bipartisan I I I wish people would reconsider and say you know what we are going to support these because we agree that this is a hostile takeover of our federal government and at the very least this Congress is going to ask questions I yield back gentlemen yields back anyone the Republican side seeing none Mr trean recognize for five
▶ 1:16:22minutes for for support the amendment thank you Mr uh chairman um you know one thing that's interesting to me on this particular amendment is that the overwhelming response from the other side is look this oversight plan is inclusive not exclusive um where you know we're going to build upon this of course if we see changes we'll uh we'll adjust the plan but I mean you understand that we're not going to be comforted by
▶ 1:16:52your faith-based arguments right like there not uh a huge level of trust that you're all going to suddenly step up and do the right thing when you've all remained super silent on these Mass firings across our health organizations so it's just that is like not assuaging the concerns of the American people it certainly isn't a swaging RS if I was writing this plan for the 119th Congress the oversight plan I wouldn't have a copy and paste of the 118th
▶ 1:17:23Congress because so much as changed just in the first five weeks of this Congress things that should be reflected in this plan why wouldn't we want to understand the impact of layoffs on the CDC on the FDA on HHS on NIH that seems like something we would normally agree on if we weren't prioritizing loyalty over oversight and over checks and balances which is our primary role here so I don't know I think one one of the things that has
▶ 1:17:53become abundantly clear is that that we would like it in black and white because the cuts are happening now the layoffs are happening right now people are being affected right now and you all don't seem to take it seriously or to hold it in any sort of priority to put it in the plan of how we're going to conduct oversight in these next two years I yield back General General lady yields back anyone on the Republican side seeing none gentan from New Jersey recognized for five minutes on the amendment
▶ 1:18:23thank you chairman I move to strike the last word thank you the new HHS secretary has promised an agenda of make America healthy again let's take him at his word if we want to make America healthy again we can Safeguard against future pandemics we can increase public education about the most common chronic illnesses that exist in this country we can spread the word about the safety and effic efficiency of vaccines we can invest in future research for deadly diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's
▶ 1:18:53but we can't do that if this Administration the Republican Party fire public health workers across the country who for the record are public servants because my colleagues across the aisle are so focused on cost savings even at the expense of the health and well-being of the American people let's put cuts to Public Health in perspective for every dollar spent on public health interventions the media and Roi is more than 14 to one so as you make these cuts and fire these public servants you're costing
▶ 1:19:23a lot more money than you're actually saving so if you truly believe in making America healthy again by all means we're with you let's Stand Together fund public health and ensure that we provide life-saving coverage and treatment for everyone who needs it let's make sure that we have the public employees that we need the federal employees the public servant that we need to make sure that we are keeping America healthy we all know that this plan is a 2-year plan so over the next two years we need to be able to do
▶ 1:19:53what this amendment calls for which is to to examine the impact of the administration's termination of employees on the ability of HHS to effectively protect the public health and I joined my colleague Congressman aass Cortez in asking when will you be ready to do so if a week isn't soon enough it's two weeks is too soon when will you be ready to ensure that we are properly conducting oversight of HHS and the number of employees that they need to effectively protect the public health
▶ 1:20:24I just all of our colleagues that on page one of the plan it says that we should conduct oversight by reaching conclusions based on an objective review of the facts and I for one do not trust this Administration to deal in facts so it's Our obligation to do so here thank you and I yeld back thank you the gentleman yields back anyone on the Republican side anyone on the Democrat side seeking recognition gentleman from New York Mr tonco thank you Mr chair over the uh last several years I've been
▶ 1:20:54meeting with with families concerned about rare diseases and families impacted by the addiction crisis their hope is driven by efforts at the FDA that can discover new opportunities to address those health concerns to combat them their hope is being suffocated and it's unacceptable I know that my good friend and subcommittee chair Carter has said well give it time
▶ 1:21:24I don't think the people like what they've seen in the first 30 some days this is totally unacceptable they want to know that there is science-based evidence-based discussion they want to know there's thoughtfulness and academic supplied to how we reinvent these efforts they don't want pmil Cuts they don't want to on again off again stop and start delay Court stay
▶ 1:21:54atmosphere that is not providing stability and is threatening the very existence of research that's being conducted and performance at FDA that is providing that hope they don't want us to suffocate that hope now many of us in the last several days have had town halls and I can tell you at my town hall 1100 people wanted to know what am I doing what tools am I utilizing what am I doing to make a difference
▶ 1:22:25and I said well I'll show you one I'm going to go as a member of this committee Energy and Commerce and address the markup of our oversight plan that's the tool we have available in the minority and so I ask that you be sensitive that you be smart about this because they don't appreciate the atmosphere which is a clown show type atmosphere they deserve more the respect is not shown to our American families especially those who are struggling and
▶ 1:22:55we're allowing this clown show to be conducted by a team that is not well-versed in the issues that is not utilizing inspectors General to guide them with fraud and ineff inefficiencies and waste we're allowing this to be left to a person who wields a chain Shaw chainsaw in the middle of activities speaking callously and insensitively to the hurt and the harm that is being
▶ 1:23:25done by these Cuts they don't like what they're seeing in the first 30 days they want better and we're saying as a team here on Energy and Commerce please say yes to some of these opportunities that enable us to advance the cause and concerns of so many people out there who are watching this and they are not happy you can see the polls precipitously dropping for the leadership of this country and rightfully so and with that I yield back gentan y's back
▶ 1:23:55seeing no one on the Republican side any on the Democrat side none okay going to be a roll call has been sorry if there's no further discussion the vote occurs on the amendment uh R gan from New Jersey has requested a roll call vote and the clerk will call the roll Mr L Mr L votes no Mr Griffith Mr Griffith votes no Mr bacus Mr bakis
▶ 1:24:25votes no Mr Hudson Mr Carter of Georgia Mr Palmer Mr Palmer votes no Mr Dunn Mr Dunn votes no Mr kensaw Mr Joyce Mr Joyce votes no Mr Weber Mr Allen Mr Allen votes no Mr balderson Mr fure Mr fure votes no Mr fluger
▶ 1:24:56Mr fluger votes no Mrs harshbarger Mrs harbarger votes no Mrs Meeks Mrs kamik Mrs kamik votes no Mr oberti Mr oberti votes no Mr James Mr James votes no Mr B Mr B votes no Mrs hin Mrs hin votes no Mr Fry Mr Fry votes no Miss Lee Miss Lee votes no Mr Lang worthy Mr Langworthy
▶ 1:25:26votes no Mr Kane Mr Kane votes no Mr rouy Mr ruy votes no Mr Evans Mr Evans votes no Mr Goldman Mr Goldman votes no Mrs fedorek Mrs fedorek votes no Mr palone Mr palone votes I miss deette miss deette votes I miss chikowski miss chikowski votes I Miss Matsui Miss
▶ 1:25:56Matsui votes I miss Caster Miss Caster votes I Mr tonko I Mr tonko votes I miss Clark Miss Clark votes I Mr Ruiz Mr Ruiz votes I Mr Peters Mr Peters votes I Mrs Dingle Mrs Dingle votes I Mr VC Mr VC votes I Miss Kelly Miss Kelly votes I miss beragon miss beragon votes I Mr SoDo
▶ 1:26:26Mr SoDo votes I miss Sher Miss Sher votes I Miss Tran Miss Tran votes I miss Fletcher Miss Fletcher votes I miss Ocasio Cortez Miss Osio Cortez votes I Mr aen Claus Mr aen Claus votes I Mr Carter of Louisiana Mr Carter of Louisiana votes I Mr Menendez Mr Menendez votes I Mr Mullen lansman Mr
▶ 1:26:57lansman votes I miss mclen miss mclen votes I chairman Guthrie chairman got three votes no Mr Carter of Georgia is not recorded Mr Carter of Georgia votes no Mr balderson is not recorded Mr balderson votes no Mr Weber is not recorded Mr Weber votes no
▶ 1:27:47chairman got three on that vote there are 23 eyes and 27 nose the amendment is not agreed to are there amendments the Gent lady from New York what purpose you seek recognition Mr chairman I have an amendment at the desk the clerk who will report Mr chairman could you oh the number amendment number it's oi1 the clerk over report amendment to draft oversight plan
▶ 1:28:17oi1 on page 14 after the section entitled without objection the reading of the amendment is dispensed with and the general lady is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment Mr chairman I'd like to call up the amendment labeled oi1 which has been done just days after taking office Donald Trump attempted to remove at least 17 inspectors General from their posts this includes the IGS from the Departments of energy
▶ 1:28:48Health and Human Services Commerce and the Environmental Protection a agency from this committee's jurisdiction alone this purge is not only in violation of the law but it is an alarming attack on the transparency and accountability of federal agencies under the Trump Administration IGS provide independent and objective oversight all members of this committee know that IGS
▶ 1:29:18are regularly called to testify at our hearings because their reports and findings are nonpartisan and reliable after lending to legislation or other action excuse me after leading to legislation and other congressional action IGS are empowered to look for Waste fraud or abuse and ensure that our federal tax dollars are spent in accordance with Congressional intent
▶ 1:29:49and in fiscal year 2023 alone IG saved the billion all members of this committee should be outraged by these brazenly unlawful actions jeopardizing the effective and efficient execution of our federal laws and programs instead of outrage however committed Republicans seem engaged only in lip service about the need to ensure
▶ 1:30:19accountability and to cut waste Fraud and Abuse at our f federal agencies and are quite comfortable and smug about relinquishing their own authority to two men one El unelected who are the sole Arbiters of what constitutes transparency and government Republicans are clearly more interested in playing politics than protecting taxpayer dollars
▶ 1:30:50and House Republicans also have been silent about Elon Musk and his minion slashing jobs and freezing funding government wide without any regard for whether the chaos they're creating is actually addressing waste Fraud and Abuse so I want to urge my colleagues I want to urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle my Republican colleagues to take oversight seriously regardless of which party controls the White
▶ 1:31:20House and support this amendment with that Mr chairman i y back thank you the Gent lady yields back the gentleman from Alabama seeks recognition recognize for five minutes thank you Mr chairman I'd like to speak in opposition to the amendment the oversight Plan before us already contemplates this topic the plan explicitly states that the committee will examine departments and agencies under its jurisdiction to ensure adequate impr prompt implementation of recommendations from
▶ 1:31:50the administration the offices of Inspector General the government accountability office this language is Broad enough to include oversight of Inspector General offices within the agencies under this committee's jurisdiction ensuring they continue investigating and Reporting on waste Fraud and Abuse the inspector generals must be independent but they are not above oversight the committee has a responsibility ensure inspector generals remain focused on their
▶ 1:32:20core Mission rather than engaging in politically investigations the amendment is unnecessary and I urge my colleagues to vote no on the amendment Mr chairman I yeld back gentleman y's back this recognition G lady from Florida was recognized for five minutes thank you Mr chairman I moov to strike the last word remember where how we got here in uh the new President's first week in office on a Friday night he
▶ 1:32:50purged and fired inspect ectors General across the federal government these are the folks who are responsible for rooting out waste Fraud and Abuse uh the president that at that time called them Rogue partisan bureaucrats which is a lie these are nonpartisan inspectors General many of them that have jurisdiction of Department of energy and EPA
▶ 1:33:20have pretty strong Republican backgrounds actually uh the new president said that this is a common thing to do that's a lie it is not common practice to sweep into office and abuse your power and to fire inspector's General so Mr chairman I have a question for you I have looked at the house Energy and Commerce press releases and social media
▶ 1:33:51and I have not seen any comment by you or the majority calling into question uh that illegal Purge of the Inspector General am I missing something was did have you made a statement or has any uh any member in the majority made a statement calling into question the illegal firing of the inspector's General I haven't made a public statement okay
▶ 1:34:21is there any Republican member of the majority here today that has raised any concern about the illegal firing of the inspector's General particularly the ones that oversee HHS Department of energy uh and EPA well I think that's a real abdication of your responsibility you think that it's okay to take the cops off the beat the ones that are responsible for rooting out waste
▶ 1:34:51Fraud and Abuse I'm going to offer off for uh for the record a letter that the uh ranking member and the ranking members of the subcommittee but I know it it captures the uh the feelings of the Democrats here today a letter to you Mr chairman and chairman Palmer of O Andi calling for uh an energy and commerce oversight and investigation hearing immediately to investigate the terminations of
▶ 1:35:21the inspector's General on January 2th forth by the president um purging and let me read a little bit of it purging government Watchdogs without notice to Congress is a violation of the law and it's an alarming attack on the transparency and accountability of agencies I know there's a lot of discussion about how we root out uh fraud and Achieve savings for the American people do you all know that in fiscal year 2023 alone it was estimated that the work of inspectors
▶ 1:35:51General saved the government over 100 billion doll so what the heck you're taking them off the beat you're countenancing waste Fraud and Abuse I don't think you're that far gone we say in our letter our members deserve an opportunity to question why the Trump Administration attempted to eliminate and have eliminated these inspectors General and whether and to what extent internal agency oversight will continue it's not just the inspector's
▶ 1:36:22General by the way a lot of the professional staffers who have deep experience in rooting out waste Fraud and Abuse have left as well uh so Mr chairman I'll offer this letter for the record I don't know that we've received an answer to it yet I would hope that we have an answer but most of all I would hope that you approve rep Clark's Amendment and that you schedule an immediate oversight hearing on The Purge of the inspectors General especially the ones that
▶ 1:36:52have relate to to our jurisdiction without objection the Letter's in the record General lady back lady Yi's back y back he's back gentleman from Georgia seeks recognition yes Mr chair um is recognized thank you excuse me uh you ow Palmer thank the gentleman for yielding I keep hearing my Democratic colleagues say this is an illegal
▶ 1:37:23act maybe you should read the Inspector General Act of 1978 that states An Inspector General may be removed from office by the president president simply exercis The Authority that he has under the ACT I yield back I yield back gentleman yields back the gentleman from Louisiana seeks recognition Mr chairman I moved to strike the the last gentleman's recognize um you know
▶ 1:37:53it it is amazing to me if Mr musk and my Republican colleagues are sincere about wanting to rid our of fraud waste and abuse it seems to me that the last thing you would want to do is to remove individuals that have proven that that is their core task
▶ 1:38:24they saved 100 billion dollar for the taxpayers yet here we are saying we should just unilaterally get rid of them and the Silence of my colleagues is deafening because this is not a Republican or a Democratic issue this is oversight and we as duly elected members of United States Congress have
▶ 1:38:54a responsibility to call balls and Strikes not to hide behind partisan politics or hide behind an unelected billionaire who somehow sees this as his newest toy who somehow sees this as an opportunity to have reverse Robin Hood to steal from the hardworking American
▶ 1:39:25families and to give to the few this is not rocket science my dear friends why would you want to remove someone who has by the way these individuals have worked through multiple administrations Republican and Democrat rooting out abuse
▶ 1:39:56and I know you feel like I do because I've spoken to many of you but your silence is deafening the American people better the American people deserve more the American people deserve to hear from you to use your voices stand up to tyranny stand up to the those who would ruin or attempt to wreck
▶ 1:40:26our rule of law are the core principles of our United States Constitution I call upon our friends do the right thing demonstrate courage in the face of adversity in the face of fear of someone who may threaten you to to primary you you didn't come here to get reelected you came here to serve the American Mr chairman I yield My Time thises yield
▶ 1:40:57that's okay who's asking for the Y I yield to um R re thank you this is pretty straightforward I mean if you have individuals by law who are supposed to look for Waste Fraud and Abuse to conduct audits to make sure that taxpayer dollars are spent responsible to raise the alarm when they see and when you see a president who is purging them from
▶ 1:41:28their bipartisan role that president is undercutting the uh constitutional power of congress to have oversight as well as opening the door for more waste Fraud and Abuse and Corruption it is that simple When You Want to Build Your Capacity to go after waste Fraud and Abuse you want more inspector generals you want to empower these independent Auditors
▶ 1:41:58to do their job so let's make sure that we understand that this whole notion of trump purging the federal government and freezing funds to go after waste Fraud and Abuse is simply a dog whistle the whole notion that oh well these individuals are some form of a deep state that quote unquote are politically motivated is only a dog whistle what they are doing is dismantling the very
▶ 1:42:28fabric of our Constitution that allows the Congress our committee right here to provide oversight and you're abdicating that responsibility you are taking it lying down you are allowing this to happen to the American people and to our constitution you are not saying we're going to investigate the effects of these funding freezes we're going to investigate these effects of massive layoffs on the American people
▶ 1:42:58gentlemen in fact that's a turning a blind die I yield back General from Louisiana yields back so n the Republicans not g lady from from Illinois almost said New York Illinois sorry I move to strike the last word okay found in Title Five Section 403b An Inspector General may be removed from office by the president if an inspector General is removed from office or is transferred to another position or location within an establishment
▶ 1:43:29the president shall communicate in writing the substantive rationale included detailed and case specific reasons for any such removal or transfer to both houses of Congress including the appropriate congressional committees not later than 30 days before the removal or transfer nothing in this subsection shall prohibit a personal action otherwise authorized by law other than transfer or removal I yield back General
▶ 1:43:59lady yields back you see on the Republican side Noone on the Democrat side seeing no further discussion divert occurs on the amendment uh roll call vote is is the gentleman from New Jersey requests a recorded vote and the clerk will call row Mr L no Mr L votes no Mr Griffith Mr Griffith votes no Mr bacus
▶ 1:44:30Mr bacus votes no Mr Hudson Mr Hudson votes no Mr Carter of no Mr Carter of Georgia votes no Mr Palmer Mr Palmer votes no Mr D Mr krenshaw Joyce Mr Joyce votes no Mr
▶ 1:45:00Weber Mr Allen Mr Allen votes no Mr balderson Mr balderson votes no Mr fure Mr fure votes no Mr fluger Mr fluger votes no Mrs harshbarger Mrs harsh Barger votes no Mrs Miller Meeks Mrs Miller Meeks votes no no Mrs kamik Mrs kamik votes no Mr oberti Mr oberti votes no Mr
▶ 1:45:31James Mr James votes no Mr B Mr B votes no Mrs hin Mr Fry Mr Fry votes no Miss Lee Miss Lee votes no Mr Langworthy Mr Langworthy votes no Mr Kane Mr Kane votes no Mr rouy Mr ruy votes no Mr Evans Mr Evans votes no
▶ 1:46:02Mr Goldman Mr Goldman votes no Miss Mrs fedorek Mrs Fedor votes no Mr palone Mr palone votes I miss deette miss deette votes I miss chowski I miss chowski votes I miss Matsui I I miss Matsui votes I miss Caster Miss Caster votes I Mr tonco I Mr tonko votes
▶ 1:46:32I miss Clark Miss Clark votes I Mr Ruiz Mr Ruiz votes I Mr Peters Mr Peters votes I Mrs Dingle Mrs Dingle votes I Mr VC Mr VC votes I Miss Kelly Miss Miss Kelly votes I miss baragan miss baragan votes I Mr SoDo Mr stto
▶ 1:47:02votes I miss shrier miss shrier votes I Miss Tran Miss Jan votes I miss Fletcher Miss Fletcher votes I miss Ocasio Cortez Miss Osio Cortez votes I Mr aen Claus Mr aen Claus votes I Mr Carter of Louisiana I Mr Carter of Louisiana votes I Mr Menendez Mr Menendez votes I Mr Mullen
▶ 1:47:32Mr lansman Miss Mullen Miss Mullen votes I chairman Guthrie chairman Guthrie votes no Mr Don is not recorded Mr Dunn votes Mr Weber is not recorded Mr Weber votes
▶ 1:48:15no chairman Guthrie on that vote there were 22 eyes and 28 nose what purpose of gentle lady from Washington seek recognition the clerk will report what number uh h8 the clerk will report h8 on an amendment to draft oversight plan h8 on page four
▶ 1:48:45under the section entitlement programs after without objection the amendment of the reading of the amendment is dispensed with and the gentem lady is recognized for 5 minutes in support of the amendment Mr chairman we all know that there is no way to achieve the stated Republican goal of a minimum $880 million cut to spending under art committees billion excuse me billion uh under this committee's jurisdiction without deep cuts to Medicaid my
▶ 1:49:15Amendment simply clarifies that going after Medicaid with a chainsaw will result in reduced Medicaid coverage up program that covers a third of the people in this country will take Health Care away from people in need betray seniors and increase health care costs overall I'm just going to quote a republican colleague talking about Medicaid representative Gonzalez from Texas he said quote at what point do you stop cutting into the fat and start cutting into
▶ 1:49:46the bone make no mistake Republicans are trying to cut the bones of a program that pays for health care for nearly half the pregnancies and children in this country for Rural hospitals and for nursing homes so that they can fund their tax cuts for billionaires and corporations if they were serious about fraud they would go after the predatory insurance companies that are gouging both
▶ 1:50:16the government and patients as they are contractors for programs like Medicare Advantage the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General found $7.5 billion dollar in suspect payments made to Medicare Advantage plans due to upcoding in other words making patients look sicker than they actually are in 2023 alone oh and by the way as has been mentioned by my colleagues uh Donal Donald Trump illegally fired that Inspector General
▶ 1:50:46last month whose sole job was to oversee the department and ensure that taxpayer dollars were not being misspent that is what inspectors General do they root out fraud waste and abuse and they protect you and your tax dollars so why aren't Republicans speaking out about this because they're not serious about fraud they're not serious about lowering costs
▶ 1:51:16and making American lives better they are lying to the American people claiming that $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid is rooting out fraud when their actual goal is to fund a huge tax break for Gigantic corporations and billionaires so I urge my colleagues who are serious about supporting their constituents and rooting out real fraud to vote Yes on this amendment thank you and I yield back the Gent
▶ 1:51:46lady yields the gentleman from Georgia Mr Carter is recognized thank you Mr chairman Mr chairman this amendment seeks to claim that the committee's goal of responsible stewardship solely involves cuts to harm beneficiaries look folks Medicaid is an important program as a health care professional as a consultant pharmacist at long-term care facilities I know this it covers half of all children
▶ 1:52:17in the country and it's the largest payer for long-term care for people with disabilities our nation's most vulnerable rely on it for care Medicaid was intended to be a safety net program for the Aged to Blind the disabled pregnant women children those living with disabilities that's what Medicaid for it's also a program however that spending is growing at an unchecked rate at a rate we cannot continue to
▶ 1:52:47finance according to the CBO Medicaid enrollment will largely stay flat over for the next decade but Medicaid spending will grow by more than $300 billion do over the same period let me repeat that according to the CBO the Congressional Congressional budget office Medicaid enrollment would largely stay flat over the next decade but Medicaid spending will grow by more than $300 billion dollar over the same period as written this oversight
▶ 1:53:17plan will put us on a path toward accomplishing this goal by identifying opportuni reduce fraud waste and abuse in the program while also protecting the most vulnerable among us our goal here today again is to ensure that the program is secure for future generations of beneficiaries and that it can can continue to serve those indeed that's what we were trying to do or trying to do with this oversight plan we
▶ 1:53:47know there are opportunities to streamline the program and to generate more eff efficiencies for both the federal government and the states and the states that will not only lower costs but also reduce red tape for beneficiaries and State Medicaid programs in fiscal year 2023 alone the government accountability office estimated that there were approximately $50 billion do in improper payments in the Medicaid Program 50 billion dollar in
▶ 1:54:17improper payments in the Medicaid Program it should be a shared priority by members of both sides of the aisle on this committee that we address this issue as this oversight plan sets out to do this committee will continue to focus on both building on successes from the last Congress like Banning spread pricing and Medicaid and expanding access to Home and Community Based Services while also focusing on the long-term
▶ 1:54:48sustainability of the program again say sustain stabilize that's what we're trying to do with chairman unless there's someone else who wants time I'll yield back the gentleman yields uh the ranking member from New Jersey Mr balone is recognized well thank you Mr chairman I I want to say Mr Carter I'm I guess I shouldn't be surprised but I'm a little shocked that you're openly
▶ 1:55:19advocating uh Medicaid Cuts uh because from what I've heard so far a lot of the Republican members on this committee uh have not been willing to say that so I guess maybe I should respect your honesty uh but on the other hand it's pretty shocking uh when I know that um this budget resolution is saying at a minimum there should be $880 billion do in Cuts uh in this committee's jurisdiction and
▶ 1:55:49possibly up to 1.5 from what I can see and I know that um those cuts can't possibly happen without most of it being in Medicaid um we just don't have jur you know Spectrum maybe I don't know 10 billion energy a few billion but basically we're talking almost a trillion dollars uh in Medicaid Cuts now you can argue that there's waste Fraud
▶ 1:56:19and Abuse the reality is that the Medicaid Program is the leanest of all the federal programs health programs it's actually the biggest as well it's bigger than any of the others uh but it's the leanest um of any of them at as well and so um you know I doubt there's very much of waste Fraud and Abuse there certainly not uh a trillion dollars worth what I've been hearing from
▶ 1:56:50your members is uh you know know I think Mr Guthrie the chairman talked about a cap per cap at a cap um I've heard about reducing um the Medicare expansion uh from 90% to less that I think there are nine states right now that have Medicare expansion that say on their law that if that were to happen they would eliminate uh the Medicaid expansion millions of people
▶ 1:57:20would uh not have Medicaid anymore under the expansion program um we're hearing about reducing uh like a state like Mississippi gets 70% I think of their money my state gets 40% of Medicaid from the federal government we're hearing about reducing that uh you know in my case in in the state of New Jersey the governor's the the budget of the state of New Jersey is about $55 billion if you were to
▶ 1:57:50implement that $ 800 80 billion Medicaid cut proportionate to uh what New Jersey gets we talking we're talking about A9 billion cut in a in a state budget that has $ 55 billion what is that a 20% cut for the state budget it's not sustainable they would have to they would have to kick people off the roles so everything that I've heard uh about Medicaid Cuts is not what you're
▶ 1:58:20mentioning waste Fraud and Abuse but actually money that's being used now to pay for the program whether it's expansion program the regular Medicade program whatever and what does that mean it means that 60% of the people in nursing homes uh are paid for by Medicaid they're either going to close or they're going to provide a lot less Services hospitals rural hospitals will close uh people with disabilities is almost 100% of people with disabilities get
▶ 1:58:51some kind of Medicaid what are they going to do um children half the children in the country uh their health care is covered by Medicaid so you know I I appreciate that you're being honest and saying that you want to cut Medicaid uh it's pretty outrageous but you're saying it let's you appreciate the honesty but the idea that you're going to come up with 880 billion at least maybe a trillion maybe even a trillion and a
▶ 1:59:21half um in Medicaid cuts and that's going to be from waste Fraud and Abuse not for this program this program is very lean as it is most the effective program that we have uh Federal program for health health care and so you know you have to be I know you're being honest about your willingness to make the cuts but you have to be honest about where that those cuts are going to come from they're going to come directly from the funding of Medicaid and it's going to mean that many people are
▶ 1:59:51going to lose their Health their healthc care that's what's going to happen I yield back Mr chairman the gentleman yields the gentleman from Alabama is recognized thank you Mr chairman uh move to strike the last word uh I just want to point out that what we're trying to do is save Medicaid for the people it was intended for what's happened over the last few years is is really an abomination in the first eight years of the expansion for instance there were over 740,000 people
▶ 2:00:21on waiting list who got pushed to the end of the line and over 21,000 of those died uh just last uh May there were two reports from the inspector General's office that showed that California improperly claimed 52.7 million in federal Medicaid uh that's that's fraud that's abuse New York uh uh claimed 20 million and uh but I want to I want to point out something else here
▶ 2:00:51that I think um is important in in terms of what we're trying to do and I I'll share a quote with you almost all of the long-term deficit and debt that we Face relates to the exploding cost of Medicare and Medicaid if we don't get control over that we can't control over we can't get control over our federal budget that is a direct quote from President Barack Obama and for once I can say I I I stand with President Obama
▶ 2:01:22that we have to get control of this with that Mr chairman I yield to to the gentleman from Georgia Mr Carter Mr chairman um I'm sorry I think my short-term memory is pretty good but my friend from New Jersey said that I mentioned the word Cuts I don't ever remember a few minutes ago when I was speaking mentioning the word Cuts I remember mentioning stabilize secure save sustain but not Cuts we need to make
▶ 2:01:52sure we understand what we're doing here we're trying to save a program an important program I know as well as anyone I have spent more hours in nursing homes than probably just about most of the people here put together I understand it I am not have not used the word cuts and I don't appreciate someone putting words in my mouth that I haven't said I said save stabilize secure sustain all of those things
▶ 2:02:22but not Cuts I yeld back gentle I don't know who has the time but I was going to ask if I could the gentleman from Alabama yield to me the gentleman Yol the time to the chairman of the whole committee I just want to say that that uh if you look at where medicate is now if you look at the CBO score you talk about per capita allotments which grows with population grows if if you let Medicaid grow at the rate of Medical in inflation
▶ 2:02:52you let it grow at so today's dollars every state gets exactly the same dollars next year based on whether qualifications for Medicaid or not don't change anything and grow it's stay it's it's a $900 billion so Medicaid is estimated to grow 900 billion dollars over the next decade Beyond medical inflation Beyond medical inflation and so what we you know what president Trump said he said it publicly we're going to we're going to make sure that what we honor what he said
▶ 2:03:22about Medicaid but there's opportunities to save money this very committee voted in the ira to take I got criticized for taking money out of Medicare when you voted to do the price setting for Medicare Part D and took that money and spent it somewhere else you guys didn't classify that as a cut in Medicare Medicare and so what we're saying is there's opportunities to reform the program stabilize the program and also if if a sick child goes to the doctor in Kentucky the federal government gives 72 cents if a
▶ 2:03:52healthy adult goes to the child in Kentucky on Medicaid the federal government gets 90 cents we think that's an unfair setup as well and so we want to make sure that people are covered that Medicaid is is adequate for every state and they're not cut from where they were before but we can also look at the growth and deal with the growth and if we continue to have unended growth in health care spending in this country the whole budget is going to implode all of healthcare spending employers are being
▶ 2:04:23pushed by the employer plans that they spend Healthcare cost are just continue continue to grow and if we don't address it we're not going to have a budget we're not going to have a country we're not going to have a future for our children and so we can deal with Medicaid and you will see a plan to deal with Medicaid that doesn't put that doesn't cut Medicaid that gives the opportunities for people to be covered and to people have have access to health care and also meet what the president the criteria the president has set down about he wants to do with Medicaid
▶ 2:04:53I'm sorry I said Medica I mean Medicaid I'm sorry I yeld back I Y back the gentleman yields the general lady from Illinois uh recognized I mve to strike the last word there are two women in my district who um have
▶ 2:05:24suggested that what they need to do is to commit suicide they are in a senior home in a very nice building and they rely on Medicare and Medicaid Medicaid and they have investigated this you don't just decide about taking your own life they investigated this and
▶ 2:05:54what would happen to the amount of money that they would get in order to be able to keep their own lives and these are not people who are scammers they are not just trying to get money they are trying to live a modest life so at this home there was a group that got together with them and talk them out of
▶ 2:06:25suicide and promised that they would work as hard as they can to make sure and that we would definitely and I said I would as well organize to make sure that they wouldn't be left without their medication we're talking about among the poorer people in this country and how can we just say no and you're saying oh well we have all this proof
▶ 2:06:56but I certainly have talked to and a many a number of experts in this room who know about the Medicaid Program know that people need the money in order to live a decent life and I just think this a attack on poor people and on families that says that they have to get less money is just
▶ 2:07:26unbelievable to me in the United States of America you think we don't have poor people that can't get the what they need to live you better look around in your own districts and see who's there and I say we must give people and help them get the care that they need not let them decide about suicide and I yield back General lady
▶ 2:07:58yields the general lady from Colorado is recognized the general lady from Florida recognized thank you very much Mr chairman uh I want to thank Dr shrier for bringing this very important Amendment and I think she's done a good job along with ranking member palone and uh rep chikowski here of of highlighting the what's going on this betrayal of American
▶ 2:08:28families to to fund tax cuts for billionaires the wealthy and the well-connected I hear the rhetoric from my my Republican colleagues that they're concerned about um reform in Medicaid but that's bellied by the fact again that you've allowed the illegal firing of the Inspector General who makes nonpartisan recommendations to root out waste Fraud and Abuse it's also uh blied by the fact that what's going on here in the capital today is a push for a budget resolution
▶ 2:08:58to give major major tax benefits to billionaires like Elon Musk and the wealthy and the well-connected it's not just oh Medicare reform this is a topic of conversation it's not this is why this is why they have to go to find a place to fund their big tax cuts and where did they go they go to the people who are probably least have the least political power in the country right we're talking about people with disabilities
▶ 2:09:29uh children with complex medical conditions our grandparents and older neighbors who relied on skilled who rely on skilled nursing care or Home and Community Based Services to keep them out of nursing homes but don't just take it from me I wanted to to ask um to submit for the record nearly 40 letters representing hundreds of stakeholders who oppose Medicaid cuts and the Republicans budget resolution these letters highlight just
▶ 2:09:59how how devastating and cruel these Cuts would be to our neighbors back home and we've heard uh loudly and clearly from Patient Advocates faith-based organizations providers Community organizations state and local communities about what the impact will be on uh the health of our neighbors their talk books in their livelihoods and I'll just take I'll just read a couple of samples here's one from the American Academy of Pediatrics the children's defense
▶ 2:10:29fund Children's Hospital Association and the March of Dimes they say cuts to Medicaid and Chip cannot be accomplished without harming children together Medicaid and ship cover more than 37 million children in the United States Medicaid covers 40% 40% of all births in the country Medicaid also covers 3 million children in military connected care families helping ensure highly specialized Health Care needs um are covered that are not
▶ 2:10:59fully addressed by Tri care Medicaid and Chip help ensure children have access to Essential Health Care Services such as Doctor visits hospital care medications vision and dental care and early intervention therapies Medicaid improves Health outcomes by reducing child mortality Emergency Care utilization and while promoting preventative care and early treatment illnesses here's another um letter I'll just read part of it
▶ 2:11:29from from the National Conference of state legislators the league of cities the the association of counties Medicaid accounts for over half of all federal funds to States and is the largest source of federal funding for State budgets making it essential to States ability to design and administer Health Care programs that meet the unique needs of their population here's another one from a a uh from Justice and aging um these massive Cuts threaten the healthare of
▶ 2:11:59million of older adults who rely on Medicare Medicaid is not just a safety net it is a Lifeline for seniors without it they could not AFF form homebased or nursing facility care and would struggle to meet High out-of-pocket costs associated with Medicare U with Medicare the proposed Cuts would starve Medicaid forcing states to reduce spending by cutting access to these essential benefits leaving older adults without health care and the support that they need here's one from the mental
▶ 2:12:30health liaison group limiting access to Medicaid threatens to undermine gains in reducing overdose mortality rates and could lead to increasing rates of incarceration and hospitalization Medicaid is the single largest pair of mental health and substance use uh services and cuts of this magnitude will undeniably have de devast ating consequences for our citizens States and healthare providers here's one from from hospitals America's essential hospitals Medicaid
▶ 2:13:00allows essential hospitals to keep their doors open and provide care for everyone in their Community I think you're getting the gist of this um and so I'll ask that these uh letters from 40 letters from these organizations be offered for the record and please support uh this this amendment without objection so ordered the gentleman from California Dr Rose is recognized thank you very much Mr chairman uh I just really want to point out a couple of inconsistencies that I've been hearing here
▶ 2:13:31uh first I'm hearing that uh Republicans want to save Medicaid that they want to make it last uh and it's pretty simple Common Sense uh you don't save Medicaid and its mission of providing important health insurance and access to critical health care for the people that need it uh by cutting and reducing the amount of people that
▶ 2:14:01are insured by Medicaid it it's it's not it's not common sense you see when you say you want to save Medicaid but then you want to remove Medicaid from people's lives is an inconsistency second uh just a while ago you all voted against an amendment that would look at the impacts of Trump's illegally firing of Inspector generals who are
▶ 2:14:31responsible for rooting out fraud and Corruption but then I hear that you want to end Medicaid inappropriate payments look at perhaps fraud or inefficiency so let me ask you who's going to do the audits when the inspector generals are responsible to do the audit audits to find the proof If there indeed is fraud uh and any any inappropriate payments
▶ 2:15:02we agree that there should be no fraud we do want to root out fraud we want to work with you to find legal appropriate mechanisms to identify to calculate and to make transparent with the facts about fraud but what this is and we want to empower the inspector generals to do that but again what this is is a dog whistle you see this is yelling out
▶ 2:15:32fraud waste abuse like President Trump yelled out the Electoral fraud to justify what he did regarding the big lie and this is another dog dog whistle to justify and hide the real fact that you are ordered to cut over $880 billion or more in order to fund in order to find the funds
▶ 2:16:02to give billionaires like Elon Musk more billions in tax giveaways now you say you want to save Medicaid I'll give you an example of how you can save Medicaid as a physician you know I know that by reducing the burden and the impacts of of illnesses that are preventable preventable with access to care uh but reducing
▶ 2:16:33the illnesses in the working poor families by helping them get Affordable Health Care by educate the communities that use Medicade by keeping them healthy including the disabled the elderly children children then you will reduce the burden of cost due to Medicaid but instead you want to cut the actual programs that provide the care that
▶ 2:17:03provide access to these Health uh to these medications by providing the Innovative programs to to go into communities to keep them healthy you know it's maybe easy to throw out fancy terms about saving Medicaid for the future Etc when you all don't use Medicaid it may be easy to
▶ 2:17:33talk about waste and inefficiency so therefore we need to cut Medicaid when you all don't use Medicaid I've taken care of the patients who use Medicaid I've taken care of children I've taken care of the elderly who are on medy medy and it is not easy for them to overcome their illness when they no longer have access to the health insurance that provides them a Lifeline to a decent life
▶ 2:18:03with dignity and with health so I want to ask you all when you use this dog whistle about waste because that's what you're going to continue to do it's wasteful it's wasteful which benefit is wasteful to you is it Mental Health Services is it drug rehabilitation services which of those legitimate benefits are you determining a waste that you're looking to
▶ 2:18:33help cut in order to pay for billions in tax breaks for billionaires I yield back the gentleman yields the gentleman from Ohio is recognized thank you uh Mr chair I moved to strike the last word um so I'm not a physician uh I've never run a hospital I'm new to Congress but I I I was a teacher and I taught among other things remedial math so for me there's
▶ 2:19:04a math question here there's that I think you all got stuck with an $880 billion right the the this President and the majority wanted to not just keep but uh indefinitely have these wasteful uh tax giveaways to the super wealthy the Elon musks of the world who don't need the
▶ 2:19:35money and to pay for it because it's so money two things had to happen they they had to convince a bunch of folks to take on uh trillions in new debt and then to make sure it wasn't too much in new debt and deficit spending they said to you all find nearly a trillion in healthc care funding which means that you're going to
▶ 2:20:06cut almost a trillion dollars in health care and it's not just for children or seniors we were talking about doctors we're talking about hospitals hospitals that are on the edge already many of these hospitals have a few days Revenue they will shutter their doors the doctors will go they will leave health care for folks who aren't on Medicaid will disappear
▶ 2:20:37all to make this math work the fact is if we decided as a Congress to focus 100% of the tax relief on the people who need it if we just said look we're just going to provide tax relief for working people small businesses Farmers uh and the middle class you wouldn't have to you wouldn't have to cut a dollar in healthcare you could you could actually save Medicaid that's it just give up on
▶ 2:21:07the the wasteful spending on the uber wealthy that's it I yield back gentleman yields the general lady from New York is recognized thank you thank you uh Mr chair I think to reiterate um what uh what my colleague just stated from Ohio it is a there's a fundamental math problem here um there is a constant reiteration of waste Fraud and Abuse sure that's great what is the
▶ 2:21:38identified uh amount of waste that this committee identified because what the order that's been sent down here is find $880 billion not there is8 $80 billion of waste Fraud and Abuse it's it's fined $880 billion and so we have not heard a single concrete number of the amount of waste that's been identified we have not heard a single concrete number
▶ 2:22:08on the amount of abuse that's been identified and there's just kind of this vague magic wand around waste to my colleague from California's point and and waste is being used as a very large word here because what's being suggested is that long-term care is wasteful in America that children's health insurance is wasteful in America that poor PE
▶ 2:22:38poor people seeing the doctor is a waste that all of these people are disposable that the elderly are disposable so I think the the problem here is that the numbers don't add up the numbers don't add up $880 Billion is a devastating cut to Medicaid and given that 30% of Medicaid dollars also
▶ 2:23:09go to Medicare it's also an attack on Medicare to Medicare recipients and so while I completely understand the idea that there should not be waste that there not that there should not be fraud and that there should not be abuse 800 Bill $880 billion is not that this is an attack on Medicaid and anyone who votes on this budget this week is voting to cut Medicaid in America and voting to gut healthcare for Medicare recipients
▶ 2:23:39in America there's just no other way about around it and with that I yield back General lady yields the gentleman from Georgia is recognized thank you Mr um what we're voting on in budget reconciliation there there there is not the word Medicaid in the resolution period there is no word uh what we are attempting to do is to deal with a situation that frankly was put
▶ 2:24:09in in our laps uh years ago uh and just to give you some examples we spend 4 trillion a year on Healthcare 1.6 trillion of that is dollars the nearest Nation to us which is about 12,000 per capita the nearest Nation to us spends 6,000
▶ 2:24:39uh we're running $2 trillion deficits we have uh under the uh Biden um you know I I think think what we're trying to work toward is is is to get at what is what is our problem here in other words I was chairman of a hospital board we looked at outcomes and we said hey you know we spend about 25 cents on every dollar
▶ 2:25:09on preventive and we spend 75% of every dollar on critical care do you realize that Critical Care is you know much more more expensive than preventive care uh what are what are we doing now obviously our secretary of HHS has had a nerve as far as you know nutrition uh things that Americans need to be doing I know in my district we have uh uh uh epidemic of
▶ 2:25:40diabetes uh we have uh you know obesity uh we have uh food deserts we you know I mean you know folks folks we've got some problems here and I'm willing to work with you to solve these problems but to ignore the fact that uh we don't have you know we can just continue on down the road and do the same thing you know insanity is doing the same thing over and over
▶ 2:26:10again uh and we must uh look for solutions for the American people and here's the other thing you know go to emergency room on a Friday or Saturday night or talk to your local physician or anybody else you know here's the thing we're spending this kind of money and nobody in this country is happy with their health care nobody the Physicians the providers aren't like the gentleman said the hospitals are barely making it Indigent care
▶ 2:26:40in my rural commun communities has not been helped by Medicaid we're still running 40% energent care cost you know are we just going to allow this to keep going or are we going to vote on budget reconciliation get to work in these committees find out what the issue is and help really help the American people rather than sit here and and and call each other
▶ 2:27:11uh you know you know names and you know this is what we're going to do this is what we're going to do well get guess what this is a big body we have to get to a solution to this folks it's unsustainable and I would like to hear the argument about we can keep going down this road it's no problem let's just forget it let's just go down the road let's you know what do you want taxes
▶ 2:27:42to be I mean do you want Europe model 80% taxes I don't know you know I don't think the American people want that uh I can tell you on the tax deal what's important in my district is my small business Community they're the ones that we have they're not permanent have to re reinstate those tax benefits for small business are either you're
▶ 2:28:12going to have uh you know large corporations running everything and for that matter here's the other problem problem on employer-based insurance it's unaffordable you know people you know companies and people are paying and it's going up every year and it is going up substantially every year so I you know I would urge my colleagues you know let's get at the root of the problem
▶ 2:28:43here let's go down the road here on reconciliation and let's do something for the American people and I yield back gentleman yields the general lady from Virginia is recognized thank you Mr chair um I moved to strike the last word I sat on the board of a Medicaid provider I sat on the board of a hospital I sat on the Senate finance committee in Virginia
▶ 2:29:13the subcomittee handled healthc care and medic and the one thing that I know with certainty is that the reason the cost of Medicaid has gone up is not because of waste Fraud and Abuse it is because people are living longer than they did in 1965 it is because they are living
▶ 2:29:43with more complex ilnesses than they did in 1965 in part because the very communities that Medicaid was designed for were redlined into communities where pollution was emitted into those communities every single day where their neighborhood was literally cut off from food
▶ 2:30:16hospitals by a highway the cost of long-term care is going up the cost of prescription drugs is going up in both in every meeting I was in on the Joint Commission on Health Care on the Medicaid provider the hospital the Senate finance committee we were concerned about the cost of prescription drugs going up to take care of these measures and in the last Administration in the LA in the 117th Congress
▶ 2:30:47we did you did something I wasn't here you did something to help reduce cost of prescription drugs that's under attack we have hospitals in rural areas that were closing until Medicaid expansion came you have hospitals and providers they're struggling to stay open and struggling to recruit and retain the best in the biders workforce because the reimbursement rates they get are so low they
▶ 2:31:17can't pay them cuts to Medicaid which are going to be necessary to get to $880 billion which you've already heard cuts to Medicaid is basically forcing states to raise taxes because Medicaid is a state federal partnership and states are already struggling to meet their portion so you're going to make that worse
▶ 2:31:47Medicaid expansion allowed people people who never got preventative care to get preventive care and we have heard from the other side of the AE how it is more expensive to treat people when they come in the emergency room where you have to treat them and if the hospital the provider doesn't get paid that cost trickles to everybody else and makes our costs go up that's all basic fundamental fact if you sit in a
▶ 2:32:17state legislature and look at what they're looking at if you sit in the hospital boardroom looking at the financials what they're looking at if you sit in the boardrooms of the Medicaid providers and what they're looking at and putting your hand in the sand and saying we've got to reduce the deficit when the president of the United States wants to add what $4 trillion for tax cuts for
▶ 2:32:48billionaires your budget your oversight plan is a statement of your priorities what I hear from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle is your priorities are billionaires and large corporations when I talk to my constituents when I had a record number of constituents show up for a telet town hall meeting more than double than ever they weren't saying they wanted tax cuts for billionaires or corporations they were saying
▶ 2:33:19please don't take my healthare away don't close my rural Hospital don't take away my veterans benefits and we better listen because in Virginia we we know we got to quote Thomas Jefferson if you went to UVA you got to quote Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence it says we are all entitled to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness life is first the government has set up to help you
▶ 2:33:49achieve and maintain those rights healthc care is a fundamental right I yeld back General lady yields a general lady from California is recognized uh thank you Mr thank you Mr chairman um the the last my colleague across the aisle had said just join us just join us why I won't join is because this new house Republican budget is
▶ 2:34:19a betrayal bet on the American people and I will not betray the American people by taking away Health Care from hardworking families while giving $4 trillion dollar in tax cuts so Mr Allen um mentioned Medicaid and I'm curious on what the constituents in Georgia's 12th District how they feel about their Medicaid
▶ 2:34:49being at risk and being cut and getting less access to health care that's what I'm curious about that's 20 that's 24% of his district relies on Medicaid and you would want to talk about children who's fighting for children and protecting children 53% of children in Georgia's 12th District rely on Medicaid or have chip in
▶ 2:35:19the district I may not represent that District but I'm fighting for all Americans for all Americans have access healthcare and we're also told the word Medicaid doesn't even appear in the resolution Oh Say It Ain't So it's not there I think tax cuts isn't there either but we know that's the plan there is no way there is zero way to do the cuts without
▶ 2:35:49impacting Medicaid we know that the other side wants to talk about the deficit let's talk about the deficit it was Trump 1.0 tax cuts to the top 1% that drove up the deficit now they're looking to cut trillions of dollars to add 4 trillion in tax cuts the math doesn't add up it's adding more
▶ 2:36:20to the deficit so don't come and say well it's not in there and actually there was a document that was accidentally leaked to the in the budget committee a 50-page document on the resolution and sentence after sentence says the Energy and Commerce Committee didn't provide details on how they were going to do this but basically just trust them this is no time to
▶ 2:36:50trust people who are silent this is no time to trust people that are complient in the federal funds being cut people being laid off they're not going to tell you out of their mouth they're going to cut Medicade because they know there's hundreds of thousands of constituents that rely on it now some people will and we have heard some it but for the most part this is a bait and switch just
▶ 2:37:20because it's in it doesn't mean it's not being done and with that I Y back General lady Le yields the general lady from Washington Dr shrier is recognized uh thank you Mr chairman I I first of all I wanted to say I appreciate Miss bagan's comments and I also wanted to respond to some of what we're hearing from our colleagues um one of the things we heard was that um people don't like the their Healthcare I can assure you
▶ 2:37:50that the about quarter of people in your districts uh definitely appreciate having Med Medicaid Health Care I will tell you also pregnant women who would otherwise uh not get care appreciate that Health Care kids I'm a pediatrician certainly appreciate that care seniors in nursing homes who have no other options as we've heard before will appreciate it and so will people with disabilities and you know what else if none of that even affected you the rural hospitals in your
▶ 2:38:21districts will not survive without Medicaid you know the the other thing I wanted to mention was that uh again you said it doesn't say any Medicaid anywhere in this bill but you're not fooling anyone like you can't get close to a trillion dollars without cutting Medicaid and I want to make sure that the public understands that uh and based on my town hall with almost 15,000 people they understand we got a lot of calls from people saying
▶ 2:38:51what's going to happen I'm getting treated for cancer are they going to take away my Medicaid um we also heard about a complaint that adult reimbursement is higher than reimbursement Medicaid reimbursement for taking care of kids and so and the solution given was well we should cut um the the adult reimbursement no the answer is you should raise the reimbursement for taking care of kids and by the way I have a bill to do that called kids access to Primary Care and I would welcome all of you to support that
▶ 2:39:21um you know the the other the other one I I wanted to mention is that we heard that inflation um numbers will balloon you know what that means is that with inflation this already is a cut to Medicaid and then I also wanted to just comment about work requirements that just sort of like flows off the tongue as as though people are scamming the system um two colleagues here from Georgia uh turns out right now Georgia is the only state
▶ 2:39:52in the country that has imposed these work requirements also turns out the vast majority of people meet the requirements but that people have fallen off the rules because there is so much paperwork to do that the paperwork either doesn't get submitted on time or it's incomplete and they get thrown off of Medicaid illegitimately in fact it turns out also that the amount of money being spent in Georgia just on the pap paperwork to deal with these reapplications
▶ 2:40:22and proving that people are working costs more than a cost of taking care of these people's health and so in fact they tried this in Arkansas and they canned the program exactly because it was so much paperwork bureaucracy waste frankly which is what you guys say you're going after um that they did away with the program so I just wanted to set the record straight um Medicaid is a program that is critical to the lives of people in all of our districts and
▶ 2:40:52to our rural Hospital systems and uh I'm going to yield to my to my colleague Lori Tran well thank you congresswoman Trier I uh I don't have much to add because I think you covered it so well and I think we're all having a reaction to our colleague from Georgia's comments around um putting the budget discussion and the cuts ahead of a policy discussion uh or Congressman Allen articulated the problems in his district
▶ 2:41:23diabetes food deserts accessibility to care um that afflicts all of us uh but those Solutions are for us to come up with in a policy discussion I doubt when you were chairman of your hospital you said we need to solve these problems let's start by cutting 880 billion from the budget so that we can get at solving those problems no it's in Reverse you talk about how we solve those problems and then we figure out how much it's going to cost to accomplish that
▶ 2:41:53so I'd like to just focus on let's let's have the conversations around preventative care screenings Healthy Living I don't think anyone would agree that saying let's cut almost a trillion dollars from Medicaid so that we can help the 176,000 people in your District who rely on that program today back you'll back and yield back if there is no further discussion the vote will
▶ 2:42:24ton uh representative tonko is recognized thank you Mr chair I moved to strike the last word um I will fight these Medicaid Cuts uh with every fiber of my being because I did not get elected to take Health Care away from the 80 million Americans who rely upon Medicaid in New York state alone Medicaid provides coverage to nearly 7 million people including 44% of all children and 49% of new moms and their newborns and 64% of people living
▶ 2:42:54in nursing homes in my state rely on the program Medicaid is also the single largest payer for Behavioral Health Services so any Cuts would mean gutting access to health care for mental health and substance use disorders our constituents lives are on the line and they deserve better than being used as a pay for for president Trump and his richest supporters last week I sat through a marathon all day markup for the house budget committee and Republicans are discussing cutting up to 1.5 trillion in federal Medicaid funding
▶ 2:43:25cuts of this magnitude would hurt community health centers which serve as New York's Primary Care safety net providing care to over 2.4 million patients that's one in8 New Yorkers a staggering 47% of New York Community Health centers funding comes from Medicaid making Medicaid the largest share of revenue from one source for our community health centers in many congressional districts across New York incl including those represented by my Republican colleagues almost one quarter of the population are Medicaid beneficiaries
▶ 2:43:55I'm left wondering do you really want to be responsible for cutting health care benefits from a quarter of your constituents do you want to be responsible for taking funding away from community health centers that are a Lifeline to our region earlier I said we are been been placed with a challenge by our districts by the people across this country we've seen it at Town Halls they want answers they want Solutions where is the solution where does it rest it lies right in this room because we have the largest chunk of cuts that are assigned this table
▶ 2:44:26and we know they're going to come from Medicaid they don't want these decisions made by someone who did not be subjected was not subjected to a background check they do not want it made by someone who was not approved and and confirmed by the uh United States Senate they do not want them operating these cuts through a shadow agency that was never sanctioned by Congress they do not want a team not familiar with the culture of the agency doing these Draconian Cuts so I say the
▶ 2:44:56public ask and we must commit to end the Congressional paralysis let us embrace the duties the assignments the the opportunities and the responsibilities assigned Us by the Constitution the power of the pur rests with the House of Representatives let's put that back into action let's not be silent about this effort let's take over the process as we are assigned to do and let's go forward and do this in a smart compassionate uh professional
▶ 2:45:26outcome not leaving it to hacks who are not aware of all of the issues we hear about the the stories from our constituents we have the pulse of the people we know what the struggle is we are assigned this responsibility let's let's exercise that responsibility and have the best outcome with that I yield back the gentleman yields uh the chair recognizes the chairman of the full committee thank you I did speak a few minutes ago but on Mr uh Palmer's time so
▶ 2:45:57I just want to say that that I represent rural hospitals there are believe me people on this side of the podium that want people to be protected we absolutely want them to be protected but you look at just the growth in the budget we got a $ 1.8 trillion budget deficit we're going to spend more on interest this year than we spent on on on the military and if you take a program you just think the score it's all out there people have seen it and I don't believe there's going to be per capita lotman on
▶ 2:46:27all of Medicare Medicaid but if you took that and you say okay we're going to let so new so my friend from New York just mentioned New York New York state gets every penny they got this year less if people move away or people move in you get more with the growth factor for which we can debate a medical inflation and you in your saving $900 billion over or about 800 billion between 8 and 900 billion depends on the score you look at if that's if follow Medicare medicate
▶ 2:46:57and and that I'm just saying that we can make this sustainable we can make it work in a way that it's supposed to protect the people that's supposed to protect I've looked at different dials and different options and different movements and I sat down with hospitals and people who who deal with Medicaid uh and and talk to them and and so we can we're only going to do this in a responsible way I I can tell you that and we're not going to do in a way that's going to threaten hospitals but but you can look at different reports of of waste R and
▶ 2:47:27abuse you can see that some of the rules we have allow people to stay Medicaid up to even almost a year even though they may not qualify say they're don't qualify a week after or a month after they get on Medicaid they're still on for 11 months you know I'm I'm not we still have the idea that a that a disabled child in Kentucky the federal government will pay the state of Kentucky 72 cents out of a dollar but a able-bodied working adult this the federal government pays 90 cents to the to the
▶ 2:47:57dollar and we just think those are inequities and those are things that that that can be looked at and can be addressed in a way that's responsible I will tell you there are people on my side of the aisle just like people on your side AIS talking to me quite often about we've got to do this in a responsible way it's got to be something that I can support it's got to be and it only I I can only support it if I know my Hospital can work and can operate and and and that's where we are and that's what we're working on and I we'll have an opportunity to debate this hopefully in a a month or so whenever the opportunity
▶ 2:48:28comes and I think it will you'll see that it's a responsible plan and as we as we develop what that plan is nothing's going to go forward in my view that's not responsible and so we're going to make sure we we we we take care of the least of us and we're going to make sure that we take care of the working people that that need help so I will yield back the gentleman yields uh the uh gentle lady from Miss Fletcher is recognized thank you very much
▶ 2:48:58uh Mr chairman and thank you chairman Guthrie for those remarks I think um there is Broad agreement uh that we want to see responsible government and that we want to see things being done responsibly and what I am hearing from my constituents and I did a a telephone town hall with my constituents last night I asked for questions in advance I I got more than 300 questions about Elon Musk and Doge because people don't see that proceeding in a responsible way they see it as arbitrary and capricious
▶ 2:49:29and are deeply concerned about what is not happening in that agency and so not agency it's not an agency right it's not a real Department of government it's it's not even really a thing but we seem to have seated all of this authority to an unelected billionaire who's being shielded is totally not transparent and is sending threatening emails to people who work in our districts in the middle of the night and so I think there's just a a deep concern and I really hope
▶ 2:49:59that we can as a congress insist through this oversight plan that we proceed responsibly that is not what is happening with this Administration and that is a deep concern and with that I'm going to yield my time to my colleague from New York thank you yes since uh New York was mentioned and again I I think one area where there is Common Ground here is where there is legitimate waste where where there is legitimate fraud there is a willingness to work on this but there is zero
▶ 2:50:30evidence zero evidence that has been provided that that adds up to $880 billion do and you know even mentioning New York the inflation costs on Healthcare or the rises in health care costs as was mentioned mention previously because one of the largest Generations in the United States baby boomers are aging they're aging and require
▶ 2:51:00health care I and I understand there's disagreement here but I personally believe that Health Care should be a right in this country I believe that we that people should be able to see a doctor without going bankrupt but the idea that this is just some kind of indicator the people are getting older baby boomers are aging and they need health care and so once again if in doing the math
▶ 2:51:30the majority and Republicans decide that there will be service cuts to long-term care cuts to what is covered in Medicare cuts to what is covered to children and to seniors I just want us to be honest about that let's just be honest let's just say it 8 $80 billion that math is a cut and I know folks may want to say the resolution doesn't say Medicaid the resolution doesn't say a cut it says a
▶ 2:52:00lot of things that mean that aose by Any Other Name smells just as sweet and this is a cut this is a cut $880 billion doing the math is a cut thank you and I yield back well they generally a yield generally access it's her time yes so so here's the other thing I I I want to agree with everything that that my colleagues have said about you know you can try to sugarcoat it you can say well in my state some
▶ 2:52:31people get reimbursed this and others reimburse that but in in most States including my state of Colorado because of our laws the states are not going to be able to make up that difference and so as a result the the patients are going to be the ones that suffer the cuts not not some some nebulous state agency and I think the thing that strikes us as so unjust is as my colleague from New York just said
▶ 2:53:01healthc care is getting more expensive and and so and we all agree we should address waste Fraud and Abuse every single one of us agrees there we should do we should root it out but just doing that it a it's not going to save $800 80 billion and B this $880 billion that this committee has been asked to cut it's being asked to cut it in order to be able to offset tax
▶ 2:53:31cuts that are going to billionaires and corporations and so from my perspective what you're saying is okay in Kentucky or Colorado or in other other state you're going to have to take real cuts for health care for many working Americans for senior senior citizens and kids in order to be able to give tax cuts for billionaires and that just seems like a poor result and I'm sorry to say You're going to hear all of
▶ 2:54:01us saying this every day from now until the end of this until this stops thank you and I yield back thank you and I yield back General lady yields is there any further discussion on the amendment the vote will uh request for roll call has been submitted by the ranking member uh the rooll the uh request for a recorded vote and the by the clck will
▶ 2:54:32call the rooll Mr L no Mr L votes no Mr Griffith Mr Griffith votes no Mr bakus Mr bakus Mr bakus votes no Mr Hudson Mr Carter of Georgia Mr
▶ 2:55:04Palmer Mr Dunn Mr Dunn votes no Mr khaw Mr Joyce Mr Joyce votes no Mr Weber negatory Mr Weber votes no Mr Allen Mr Allen votes no Mr balderson Mr balderson votes no Mr fure Mr fure
▶ 2:55:34votes no Mr fluger Mrs harburger Mrs harburger votes no Mrs Miller Meeks Mrs Miller Meeks votes no Mrs kamik Mrs kamik votes no Mr obaly Mr obaly votes no Mr James Mr James votes no Mr B
▶ 2:56:04Mr B votes no Mrs howchin Mr Fry Mr Fry votes no Miss Lee Miss Lee votes no Mr Langworthy Mr Langworthy votes no Mr Kane Mr Kane votes no Mr rouy Mr rouy votes no Mr Evans Mr Evans votes no Mr
▶ 2:56:35Goldman Mr Goldman votes no Mrs fedorek Mrs fedorek votes no Mr palone Mr palone votes I miss deette Miss deette votes I miss chowski miss chowski votes I miss Matsui Miss Matsui votes I miss Caster Miss Caster votes I Mr tonko
▶ 2:57:06Mr Tonka votes I miss Clark Miss Clark votes I Mr Ruiz Mr Ruiz votes I Mr Peters Mr Peters votes I Mrs Dingle Mrs Dingle votes I Mr VC Miss Kelly Miss Kelly votes I miss Bagon Miss beragon votes I Mr SoDo Mr SoDo votes
▶ 2:57:36I miss Sher Miss Sher votes I Miss Tran mran votes I miss Fletcher Miss Fletcher votes I miss Ocasio Cortez Miss okasi Cortez votes I Mr aen Claus Mr aenl votes I Mr Carter of Louisiana Mr Carter of Louisiana votes I Menendez Mr Menendez votes I Mr Mullen Mr lansman
▶ 2:58:07Mr lansman votes I miss mclen miss mclen votes I chairman Guthrie chairman Guthrie votes no Mr Carter of Georgia is not recorded Mr Carter votes no how is Mr fluger reported Mr fluger is not recorded Mr fluger votes no how is Mr Hudson reported Mr Hudson is not recorded Mr Hudson votes
▶ 2:58:38no has Mr G recorded Mr Guth is recorded as no the clerk will report the result chairman Joyce on that vote there were 22 eyes and 27 NOS the amendment is not agreed to are there any further amendments
▶ 2:59:09Mr chairman I have an amendment at the desk um for what purpose does a general lady seek recognition I have an amendment at the desk -3 the clerk will report the amendment an amendment to draft oversight plan ng13 on page six Under The Heading quote management of the Department of energy and its National Laboratories after the second sentence insert
▶ 2:59:39the following without objection the reading the amendment is dispensed with and the gentle lady is recognized for 5 minutes in support of her amend Amendment thank you Mr chairman colleagues out of all of the outrageous damaging and illegal uh firings and and shutdowns whether we're talking about the inspector's general or the the top military JAG officers or the folks in charge of of the Department of the oversight
▶ 3:00:09ethics office I mean the list goes on and on I think we can all agree that one of the most troubling was the firings at the National nuclear Security Administration their professional uh Workforce was targeted by Elon Musk and Donald Trump's Reckless uh gutting of the federal Workforce and the illegal layoffs but I really hope this is an area that can Garner bipartisan support because we desperately need oversight
▶ 3:00:39here you all and for the new members of this committee this is a little bit unique uh the national nuclear security Ministry a is an agency within the department of energy and it is tasked with securing dangerous nuclear materials and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction their work is so sensitive that even inadvertent inquiries into how the NSSA spends money abroad could compromise sensitive
▶ 3:01:09information about cooperation between the United States and other governments uh to keep highly enriched uranium secure I mean this is the kind of data that our adversaries would love to get their hands on uh these are the kind of professionals that we desperately need to retain and keep on the job even um the new Energy Secretary uh Chris Wright said on February 7th
▶ 3:01:39publicly that Elon musk's staffers did not have access to secretive information about you US nuclear weap we stockpile um uh at NS nnsa but despite that two weeks ago Elon Musk and his associates kept at it they went in and they fired 300 professional staffers at NS nnsa this includes the employees the professionals who write
▶ 3:02:10requirements and guidelines for contractors who build nuclear weapons and that's what we've seen that's what has happened Silence from the other side it's it's just completely outrageous this included uh the professional staffers working on the ground at facilities where nuclear weapons are built they're overseeing contractors and inspecting these weapons
▶ 3:02:40let me tell you a few a few of these places in Tennessee the Y-12 National Security complex where they deal with uranium lithium capability material and process research the Savannah River Site in South Carolina uh they are doing important work in tridium recycling extraction uh the Savannah nuclear Solutions um group they have private contractors there panex plant in Texas where
▶ 3:03:10they are doing weapons assembly and disassembly surveillance High explosives I mean how dare this guy who's a tech billionaire come in and and Target our national security who gave him the authority to go after our nuclear experts and fire them don't you think this is an area for oversight I think so in fact Mr chairman are there any hearings planned
▶ 3:03:41right now or have any letters been written under your signature that have demanded answers here on this topic no oversight hearings currently planned about the arbitrary filing firing of our nuclear experts it is scary it's also wasteful it's a waste of time and money that you that Elon Musk and Donald Trump allowed these experts to be fired put them all through this
▶ 3:04:11turmoil who knows where that data has gone I think this is a topic a very important topic for oversight and investigation of the Energy and Commerce Committee was the General they didn't even real yes all you I I just want to clarify I maybe I heard it wrong are are you alleging that the Administration has broken the law when when it comes to security Clarance certainly have broken the law when it comes to the firing of the inspector no I'm talking security clearances are you alleging that they have that they have somehow
▶ 3:04:41broken the law thank you Mr fluger yes I think this is so arbitrary and outlandish to go in and fire people who are responsible for our nuclear Enterprise working at our Labs making sure our nuclear weapons are safe and secure yes I think it is outrageous uh and and I think the lawsuits are are ongoing right now since I'm a little bit over my time I'll yield back but I'm not done you let yields back the
▶ 3:05:11chair recogniz the gentleman from Ohio for five minutes thank you Mr chairman strike the last word G recognize thank you Mr chairman uh the committee and its oversight plan will examine the impact of government policies and actions on the supply and delivery of energy and this includes all agencies that impact the supply and delivery of energy it's oversight and related policy inquiries will examine the management governance and operations of the Department of energy which also will include
▶ 3:05:42the nuclear weapons Enterprise doe under orders from the office's personal personnel management two weeks ago laid off fewer than 700 probationary employees fewer than 50 were at nnsa than National nuclear Administration National Security and Mission critical positions were exempt to the extent that any unintended dismissals occurred the agency leadership is correcting this let us not forget the speed at which the agency
▶ 3:06:12had been expanded under the Biden Administration with no effort by the minority to assess the waste and bloat of these actions Doe's budget requests increased 45% since 2021 and roughly 35 billion to over 50 billion add this to the 100 billion in addition to Ira and infrastructure act spending and a 20% increase in Workforce or 3,000 employees and there is certainly room to reduce
▶ 3:06:42streamline in the last year alone the Biden Administration added 1,000 employees At Doe bringing the total federal employees there to 17,500 the contractor Workforce of the National Labs nuclear security and weapons sites and other sites expanded 120,000 to 135,000 Personnel the oversight plan is sufficient to monitor Personnel developments At Doe and NSA
▶ 3:07:13and I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment and I well the gentleman yield and I you to my friend the gentleman from Texas thank the gentleman um it's interesting that the congresswoman from Florida makes the statement and then she's pauses and she says she waits about five or 10 seconds and then she says silence from the other side I would remind my friends across the AIS that when you're listening to a fairy tale you normally let them get all
▶ 3:07:43the way to the end and so we listen to the fairy tale let you get all to the end to our Chairman's point in the last year alone the Biden Harris Administration added a th000 employees At Doe which bring the total federal employees there to 17,500 and nothing has been done about improving permitting nothing has been done about making sure that we have the energy we need and with that a yield back shair yield back bance some My Time gentleman yields back chair recognize the Gent lady from Colorado for five minutes to strike the last
▶ 3:08:13word thank you Mr chairman um well actually this amendment is not about all those other things this amendment is about the firing of these nuclear inspectors and I just want to clarify for Mr fluger yes we do think that the firing of these inspectors was illegal because do excuse me let me finish my statement doge is an illegal agency and Elon Musk was not appointed by anybody and that's
▶ 3:08:43what we're talking about here I'm now going to yield my time to miss Caster if finish her statement well thank you repet uh boy I wish this was a fairy tale I I wish I it is so outlandish that if someone swooped in uh to say is this really happening they would really be scratching their heads it it's like we're living in the upside down where you you have an unelected billionaire swooping in and illegally firing public servants across the country sending arbitrary emails but I
▶ 3:09:13think what we're doing here is trying to highlight how serious this is when uh Elon Musk and his associates swoop into our nuclear Security Professionals and try to clean house and do so without even getting to know what does this agency do it's irresponsible it's Reckless it's dangerous it's something that China Russia our adversaries across the world are cheering on you
▶ 3:09:43better believe they are and who knows this is one reason it's important to have over site what data did they extract from this agency I think that's a fair question who were the people who were the experts that they they coerced and put on leave or fired what connections do they have if any to to our adversaries even the the new Energy Secretary Chris Wright said he he tried
▶ 3:10:13to play off these firings as him just having moved a little too quickly there as he said in an interview he said the problem is you can't move a little too quickly when the consequences can harm our national security so our committee is responsible oversight we should take it seriously uh this isn't a game you can't just tweet about imaginary job Cuts or illegally withholding contractually contractually obligated funds like musk
▶ 3:10:44is doing that the Doe's oversight our nuclear weapons stockpile is one of its most important functions more money goes to the nnsa than all of Doe's energy programs combined it's it absolutely must be a priority for this committee's oversight efforts as Congress um I do not I this should have been a hearing as soon as this happened because it is that serious
▶ 3:11:15we've got to get to the truth amidst all of this corruption and Chaos so I'll urge my colleagues to vote Yes on this amendment and yield back my time and I'll yield to Mr yeah thank you I just want to State for the record that that was a complete mischaracterization of my question my question was not um what you said it was actually are is Miss Caster alleging that the Administration has broken the law with regards to security clearances which what I thought are hurt it had nothing to do with anything else that was said so
▶ 3:11:45well I geta my reclaiming my time I suppose that if we if we uh could have the hearing then we'd find out the answer to that question and I yield back General lady yields back is there anyone seeking recognition on the Republican side see none on the general lady from California recognized for five minutes um thank you Mr chairman I wasn't going to say anything but the fairy tale comment th this is indicative of what's going on across the aisle it's our colleagues they laugh
▶ 3:12:16they think it's funny they think it's funny that thousands of people across this country are being laid off and let go not in a specific surgical review of their jobs and what they're doing but it's getting a sledgehammer and saying let's just fire all these people without knowing what they do what the impact will be of not having this work anymore that is the reality that is not a fairy tale that is the reality the reality also
▶ 3:12:46is that there is no disputing zero disputing that this Administration along with Doge tried to just Fire 350 employees at the national nuclear Security Administration just abruptly without knowing what they even do they were fired now one of the hardest hits offices was in Texas which saw 30% of the cuts
▶ 3:13:16the employee their work mostly on reassembling Warheads one of the most sensitive jobs across the nuclear weapons Enterprise with the highest levels of clearance yet as was stated by Daryl Kimble executive director of The Arms Control Association referencing Elon Musk Department of government efficiency team the do people and I'm quoting are coming in with absolutely no knowledge of what these departments are responsible for this is what
▶ 3:13:46is happening happening this is no fairy tale this is serious nuclear business and make no mistake this Administration and the Silence of my Republican colleagues to stand up and try to protect some kind of a system to actually do this an efficient way to actually be more strategic and surgical about how to do this they're totally silent so they're saying it's okay so if you're one of the federal employees and
▶ 3:14:16workers that has been fired who's been let go why don't you call and make sure your voice is heard to those people who are not standing up for you who are totally silent on this issue and my last point I want to make is this Administration and my House Republicans are making this country less safe let me say that again they are making this country less safe just think about it they're laying off workers
▶ 3:14:47in charge of the most sensitive information without knowing anything the smoke in the mirrors of fairy tale language and so on and so forth is very disingenuous and with that I yield back General General Eddie yields back is there any further discussion since we do have further discussion we're going to probably have to recess for um for votes and then we'll come back and we'll begin with you Dr sh all right so we the committee will be in recess until 15 minutes after the last vote
▶ 4:01:12e e
▶ 4:01:58I'm ceasing control you're okay danis se's in control the committee will come back to order so we're on we were Mrs Dr shrier was next to speak great so to come back to order I believe when we recess to go vote Dr shrier was in the Q to speak so Dr sh you're recognized for five minutes uh thank you Mr chairman we were talking talking about uh protecting uh our nuclear experts
▶ 4:02:28and I moved to strike the last word General A's recognized so thank you Mr chairman well this amendment is about mainly the critical staff that were laid off from jobs safeguarding our nuclear Arsenal similar layoffs at the department of energy targeted another really critical group of workers in nuclear safety in fact just 16 miles down the Columbia River from my district is one of the largest and most
▶ 4:02:59expensive environmental cleanup projects worldwide the Hanford cleanup site uh Hanford those who don't know manufactured nuclear weapons during the 1940s the Hamford site has been undergoing cleanup and Remediation now for over 30 years underground tanks meant to be permanent were first built in the 1950s and 60s but they are now leaking adding to the more than 1 million gallons of hazardous
▶ 4:03:29waste that the Washington ecology estimates is already in the soil across the Hanford site which is then heading toward the Columbia River under current standards the cleanup and Remediation is not expected to be completed until the 2070s and that is why one reason why it is unconscionable this Administration indiscriminately fired over a dozen workers including safety Engineers environmental scientists
▶ 4:04:00and safety inspectors who are absolutely critical to this cleanup effort it cannot move quickly enough delays in funding and clean up put the Columbia River and the entire region and certainly surrounding communities at risk risk and by the way that Public Safety exemption under the administration's executive order did not save their jobs and I would just challenge anyone to try to explain to the constituents of central Washington
▶ 4:04:30uh to these residents or frankly to the rest of the country how this improves efficiency without compromising their personal or our Public Safety and with that I want to thank you and I will yield back G lady yelds back is there any discussion on the Republican side seeing on any further discussion on the Dem
▶ 4:05:19the committee will suspend
▶ 4:06:05we can do we can do a voice we can do a voice you want do a voice okay with okay if there's no further discussion the vote occurs on the amendment all those in favor shall signify by saying I I all those oppose no no the no have it and the amendment is not agreed to are there any other amendments at the
▶ 4:06:40desk for what purpose is a gentlewoman from Massachusetts seek recognition I have an amendment at the desk the clerk will report do you have the amendment number clerk yes I just need my glasses it's titled h11 thank you thank you the clerk will report the amendment amendment to draft oversight h11 at the end of the second without objection the reading of the amendment is dispensed with and the
▶ 4:07:10gentle lady is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment thank you Mr chairman my Amendment would ensure this committee examines the full impact of proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health cuts that would devastate medical innovation in this country and set us back decades in the fight against life-threatening diseases Alzheimer's disease currently affects over six million Americans and imposes an estimated annual cost of 321 billion on our health care System
▶ 4:07:41a figure projected to nearly triple by 2050 recent advancements such as the development of anti- ameloid antibodies have shown promise in slowing the progression of Alzheimer's these therapies emerging after Decades of rigorous research represent significant strides toward effective treatment however proposed cuts to NIH funding threaten to Halt this momentum undermining the critical discoveries that patients and families desperately await
▶ 4:08:11Federal investment in NIH research has been instrumental in achieving these breakthroughs and reducing support now would jeopardize the potential for future life-changing treatments Congress took a bold step forward by establishing arpa H to accelerate cuttingedge medical breakthroughs but slashing NIH funding now would turn back the clock undermining the very progress this committee has fought so hard to achieve progress that has the power to transform and save American lives
▶ 4:08:41and while we consider turning our backs on the world's best scientists let's be clear our Global competitors are watching Nations like China are investing heavily in biomed research they see what's happening here and they will gladly take our place as the leader in medical Innovation if we let them this isn't just about research funding it's about National Security economic competitiveness and maintaining our place as the global standard for medical Excellence if we are going to fundamentally
▶ 4:09:12change the way we medical research in this country it should happen through the appropriate legislative process not at the whims of billionaires who have zero understanding of how scientific funding works we don't leave our defense budget up to Twitter polls we don't let Venture capitalists rewrite the rules for how we educate our children so why would we gamble with the future of medical research in the same way because let's be clear about what's at stake these Cuts don't just mean fewer GRS and less
▶ 4:09:42lab equipment they mean fewer clinical trials for patients fighting rare disease fewer young scientists entering the field because research careers become unsustainable and slower drug development for conditions affecting millions of Americans we cannot afford to turn our backs on the next life-saving treatment the next revolutionary breakthrough the next Cure All Because some think we should leave it up to Private Industry to decide which diseases are worth attention this
▶ 4:10:12committee has a a duty to examine the full impact of these proposed Cuts before we make a mistake that we cannot undo patients scientists and families across this country are counting on us to protect the NIH and ensure America Remains the world leader in medical Innovation and when families reach the worst case scenario for a loved one when they look their doctor in the eye and ask what more can you do the NIH is the institution that works to
▶ 4:10:42get them an answer in the form of a medical miracle it's the engine behind the breakthroughs that turn despair into hope and we cannot afford to let it falter I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and I yield back General Eddie yields back for our purpose a gentleman from Georgia seek recognition ask to strike the last word recognized Mr speak uh Mr chairman I'd like to speak in opposition to the amendment as I read the memo released by the NIH there
▶ 4:11:13are no cuts no cuts to available funding yes I did use the word Cuts but please note that I modified it before and said no no Cuts it's a cap on where funds can be spent and it has since been paused by a federal judge in other words if the policy continues depending on what happens in the courts the total amount of funding available for research projects would not change but NIH Grant recipients would need to use more of the fun funding
▶ 4:11:43on research and not facilities and administration cost known as indirect cost Energy and Commerce and other committees have been talking about indirect costs for some time now both sides of the aisle have been talking about indirect costs for some time now in um some universities take for instance Harvard have a $50 billion endowment $50 billion endowment yet uses nearly 70% %
▶ 4:12:13of taxpayer money taxpayer funded grants for overhead and cost it amounts to limited taxpayer dollars being used to subsidize incredibly well-off universities president Trump was elected to rign in government and he's made it clear that his administration will scrutinize every taxpayer dollar to make sure it's being spent effectively additionally the oversight plan indicates that the committee will conduct oversight of the NIH including
▶ 4:12:43how federal agencies approve and monitor grants to ensure the safe appropriate and efficient use of federal tax dollars this is certainly broad enough to capture research on Alzheimer's disease pediatric cancer rare diseases and other public health research as specifically noted in the amendment this amendment does not improve the committee's oversight plan and is simply a political talking point I urge you no vote on the amendment now you'll back Jim and's back the gent lady from California
▶ 4:13:14is recognized for five minutes thank you very much Mr chairman um Mr chairman I move the strike the word first I'd like to thank representative Tran for Amendment asking for oversight into the firings and freezes and NIH I'd like to associate myself with their Amendment and all the remarks made will be made in support of that Amendment my Amendment focuses on a specific impact of NIH policy freezes which has historically enjoyed great bipartisan
▶ 4:13:44support rare diseases this week is rare disease week thousands of patients and families are here in DC for a week of community engagement and productive conversations with Governor Partners yet yesterday I received word that the NIH and FDA has cancelled two days of rare disease Day events at the last minute because many of the employees working on the program were fired over the weekend now this is greatly disappointing to those families many of whom were already in DC
▶ 4:14:15when events were cancelled but that disappointment pales in comparison to what's to come if these caress attacks on our scientific agencies continue we are in an unprecedented moment of attacks on science whether it's arbitrarily cutting NIH research grants replacing scientists judgment about how how and what they can research or injecting uncertainty and fear into researchers lives these these attacks threaten the entire research
▶ 4:14:45and ecosystem the impacts are not abstract NIH funded research impacts all of us bringing solutions to our most pressing problems but for the one and 10 Americans of the rare disease it is often the only hope for breakthrough cure these scientific breakthroughs often lead to drugs that are taken up by farma companies but companies don't want to invest in the long Long Hall of basic Research into the
▶ 4:15:15diseases that's why ni funding is absolutely vital for example Decades of NIH funded research helped uncovered insights about a certain protein that is altered in patients with fibrosis that research made it possible for a pharmaceutical company to develop the first medicines to treat the underlying cause ass cystic fosis but even if private companies could take on the role of primary research and development thunder
▶ 4:15:46without NIH funds they won't have any trained scientists to conduct the research NIS dollars train the next generation of scientists in response to the Trump administration's wanting Cuts grad schools are pausing or closing their admissions because they don't know if they can support more trainees in the chaotic funding environment the attacks are already cha chasing right Minds away from these positions reducing us
▶ 4:16:16competitiveness this committee has a responsibility to oversee our federal biomedical research Enterprise standing idly by will an unelected billionaire dismantles that carefully constructed research ecosystem is unacceptable so I urge my colleagues to support my Amendment especially what represent tarn's Amendment especially given the impacts on the Futures and hopes of rare disease patience with that I yield the balance of my time thank to G lady
▶ 4:16:46for yielding uh yields back is there anyone on the Republican side see Mr tono of New York you're recognized for five minutes thank you Mr chair I move to strike the last word recogniz thank you uh I really do believe that America's intellectual capacity is her greatest asset and to deny that asset and not work it for the betterment of not only Americans but people around the world uh is a really a sense of falling far
▶ 4:17:16short the Trump administration's decision to block key Federal funding mechanisms for biomed research is doing real and Lasting damage halting progress on life-saving treatments for diseases like cancer Alzheimer's and the number one killer in our nation cardiovascular disease every 33 seconds someone in the US dies from cardiovascular disease one of my constituents Dr Michelle lonard s is working to change that her research could help us
▶ 4:17:46better understand heart disease but thanks to this Reckless funding pause her work is in Jeopardy NIH grants go through a rigorous multi-step review process with final approval resting on advisory committee meetings Dr Lenard's Grant was on the agenda for the January 27th meeting of that committee one that never happened now the future of her lab her students and her career hangs in the future
▶ 4:18:17hangs in the balance this isn't just bureaucratic red tape it's a direct attack on scientific progress delays like this don't just stall research they stall hope hope for patients and families counting on breakthroughs we need need this funding restored lives depend on it and again we can make a difference by ending the congression Congressional paralysis and doing our job and assuming the responsibility ilities and opportunities that the constitution grants us with that
▶ 4:18:47I yield back thank you thank gentleman for yielding back the gentleman from California is recognized for the gentlem California Mr obot we got a lot Californians so I'll clarify that Mr obot is recognized for five minutes Mr chairman I move to strike the last word uh Mr chairman I oppose this amendment uh I share my colleagues support for the good research that nah is doing I've been a member of the science based and Technology committee for over four years uh I currently ly am the chairman of the research and Technology subcommittee on SST and we have jurisdiction over the nih's
▶ 4:19:18research budget so I've been fighting for over four years now to get more funding for the NIH uh so I support my colleagues uh good words in that respect but uh it no discussion about this about all the good work the nah is doing uh can be had without discussing some of the wasteful spending that was recently discovered at the NIH and I'll give you a couple of examples uh 2 3 million on a program for injecting Beagles with cocaine 61,000
▶ 4:19:49on a study entitled evaluating microaggressions among latinx individuals with obesity $887,000 to study the role of the estris cycle on oxycodone Cravings in female rats $19 million to study why lesbian women of color prefer menthol cigarettes and my personal favorite $710,000 to study the correlation between binge drink R ing on Super Bowl Sunday and the birth of babies 9 months later which I could probably shed some light on and it wouldn't
▶ 4:20:19cost $700,000 so if those projects went through a rigorous multi-step review process I would like really like to see what's wrong with the reviews that we're doing and folks the problem here is that every dollar that we spent I mean these might be worthy topics of discussion and research for someone's PhD thesis but this is taxpayer money we're talking about and every money that we spend on one of these projects and programs is a dollar that we're not able to spend on the good work that my colleagues have mentioned curing cancer finding cures for some of these uh
▶ 4:20:49these diseases so uh that's why I'm glad that we're taking a look at the work that NIH is doing and I'm glad that we're doing some review on that so uh for that reason I would oppose this amendment and urge my colleagues to vote no I'll you back Jim and yields back let's go down the G lady for Michigan we'll keep working down the G for Michigan you're recognized for five minutes thank you Mr chairman I move to strike the last word ladies recognize I wish to uh align
▶ 4:21:19myself with Mr Tran's Amendment because I'm very concerned about the Trump administration's recent announcement uh of what they're doing to NIH grants and I while I happen the titles that you just read are certainly something we should be looking into I don't think a meet a is the way that we need to be approaching it and by the way when I made a comment innocently saying why are we doing that I learned about a life-saving breakthrough that ended
▶ 4:21:49up in saving a lot of people in cancer so we need to get more information on these we need to but we don't cut and stop everything and on top of of these indirect cost rates that have happened nah has stopped considering that new Grant applications because they are blocking the NIH from posting any new notices on the Federal register which means that gr new grants aren't being looked at advisory committees can't meet they're obca
▶ 4:22:19the fact that a lot of research that was making a difference in many people's lives I had a mother that's being treated at the University of Michigan call me sobbing her child has leukemia she's been like they say they can't do anything she's just Frozen in the trial I don't think that's what we mean to happen either I've heard from countless researchers who are terrified about what this means for the future of biomed research one wrote me if the block on the Federal Register isn't removed
▶ 4:22:50in the next few months I fear a majority of labs will close within a year this small procedural wrench has the power to kill us science indefinitely losing an entire generation of Discovery and Innovation so uh these funding cuts and the disruptions threaten to undo a lot of progress that we all care about this is impacting life-saving cures treatments devices and therapies for some of our nation's most pressing needs from pancreatic
▶ 4:23:20cancer to addiction to Children's Health one of the studies that was stopped last week when they fired a researcher at the VA it was joint NIH VA was looking at burn pit I don't think we don't want to learn more about our veterans exposed to burn pits let's and let's be clear most of the life-saving medications that are taken today wouldn't be possible without ni funding so I hope all my colleagues will join me and being very worried about this misguided decision that is going to
▶ 4:23:50undoubtedly endanger our country's health I urge you to support Miss tron's Amendment and I yield gentle lady yields back any member of the Republican side seeing none next would be Miss Fletcher from Texas you recognized for five minutes thank you Mr chairman I move to strike the last word thank you Mr chairman um recent advances in biomedical and Health Sciences from immunotherapy as a cancer treatment to the highly effective covid-19 vaccines
▶ 4:24:20demonstrate the strengths and successes of the US biomedical Enterprise and Houston which I'm so proud to represent is home to multiple World leading Medical Care and research institutions including the world's largest medical complex at the Texas Medical Center which employs more than a 100,000 people has 10 million patient encounters a year and GDP of $25 billion just at the Texas Medical Center alone the Trump administration's announcement that it would not honor
▶ 4:24:51the individually negotiated contracts with institutions across the country and would instead impose uh blanket cuts across the board to indirect costs threatens to devastate medical health research in our community certainly but across the country as many of my colleagues have already noted and I think one thing that's important for us to think about here and to understand is to think a little bit about the history I listened to a really interesting news story the other day where the editor-in chief of the journal science explained
▶ 4:25:21that about 70 years ago after World War II the United States decided that instead of building its own research buildings and hiring its own scientists that it would carry out National research efforts at universities and the idea behind that was that it was mainly that professors would be carrying out the research they would be more independent they would be more creative if they were doing it this way rather than being directed by the government obviously that's expensive and so the institutions and the government decided they would split the costs roughly
▶ 4:25:51and the federal government's contribution to that comes in the form of these indirect cost portions of the Grant and that's a fraction of the direct cost they're contributing and I think it's just really important to say we have built up this Enterprise over the last 70 years that has been roughly spitting the cost 50/50 between the government and these institutions and one of the things that really struck me when I first got to Congress um I like Mr oberti served on the science space and Technology committee
▶ 4:26:21and I was always struck at every single hearing by the witness's testimony about the collaboration between the the research institutions the government and the private sector in every single hearing um that is by Design and we see it working incredibly successfully time and again in that committee and in the work that they came to testify about these arbitrary across theboard Cuts undermine our entire research system in Texas alone the NIH funds
▶ 4:26:524,400 active projects that total2 and5 billion dollar and I think it's important also for us to remember that they're not just damaging for the long-term success of the Enterprise they are prohibited by law and since 2018 the Congress us we have said in our Appropriations bills most recently the last Appropriations bill that banning we banned NIH from making changes to how indirect costs are determined
▶ 4:27:22that's the direction of Congress and so once again I asked my colleagues why are we seeding our Authority why are we allowing Elon Musk to replace his judgment for ours why are we not exercising our oversight capacity now and ensuring that what is happening we can look into to the kinds of things that we've heard about today we should be looking and Performing our oversight function but instead we seem to be seeding all of our authority to an
▶ 4:27:53unelected person and his team and my constituents as I said earlier have a lot of questions about this but I think it's really important that we remember that we are here for a reason and we all got elected too and people expect us to do this work that we were sent here to do and I've got a lot lot of constituents ask me where's Congress why isn't Congress doing this why aren't we asserting our Comm committee's jurisdiction here why aren't we asserting our Authority here as Congress
▶ 4:28:24and I think it's really important that we vote in favor of this amendment that we exercise our jurisdiction that we assert our Authority and that we do the work that we were sent here to do thank you Mr chairman i y back thank you General lady y's back anyone on the Republican side see none the general lady from California Miss Bon is recognized for 5 minutes uh thank you Mr chairman my colleague uh cited some Harvard amount of money but let's look to Georgia are you willing to go and get your sledgehammer and go after the emry
▶ 4:28:54University or the unity of Georgia austa or how about we look at University of Georgia Tech what about Morehouse School of Medicine those are all academic institutions in your state would you want to do that nobody wants to do that we don't want to do that but it's very disingenuous to pick out institution and not to name an institution maybe that's in your District or your state as a matter of fact the number of academic
▶ 4:29:25institutions that get funding from Ni are very heavily Republican let's look at Texas University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Alabama the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Florida the University of Florida the disagreement is not where their program should be looked at and that we should see where things should be cut the disagreement is that you all our Republican colleagues are saying
▶ 4:29:56that's okay we don't need to have a role in this just we'll let you Mr billionaire that was not elected we'll let you just decide where we're just going to make all these Cuts without even looking at the programs now some of the cuts that were made by this Administration Elon Musk which my Republican colleagues have been totally silent on totally silent which is complicity is the cuts and the devastation to the Center for Alzheimer's and related
▶ 4:30:26dementias card they fired one tenth of its critical Workforce is out of jobs card is the Forefront of groundbreaking research not only for Alzheimer but for Parkinson's Disease it's scien interests Across the Nation depend on card's research so if you got card you're gutting critical research Nationwide set this back years if not decades this isn't just policy
▶ 4:30:57these are personal these are people's lives we've heard from people on this Das of their family members who have this why would you take a sledgehammer and just cut without look looking and assessing programs and that is what we're talking about here today it's looking at the jobs that have been cut it's looking at the impact that it's going to have and the negative impact it also will have for health outcomes millions
▶ 4:31:27of Americans and families who live with Alzheimer's fight every single day do we have their back or do we not have their back my colleagues across the aisle are saying it's okay we're not going to look at it we're going to let somebody else come in and decide that we're just going to fire people indiscriminately because no make no mistake that is exactly what is happening over and over again so
▶ 4:31:58let's have the conversation about actually looking at programs instead of just being silent and letting somebody else do this in such an irresponsible Manner and I heard we want to be responsible are you kidding me there's so much irresponsibility happening now and nobody's speaking out and that is what we are trying to do today is to include this in the overs sight plan as Republicans remain silent
▶ 4:32:28Elon Musk and Donald Trump will continue to dismantle our scientific Workforce and sabotage life-saving research house Democrats are standing up to say not on our watch and today our making that effort to put that into the oversight plan so when my colleagues across the aisle say they're for the NIH if you were let go as part of NIH remember who it was who stood up and call your person that represents you and ask them why they let
▶ 4:32:58this happen without any real review of the process any real oversight and why they said we're not going to do the oversight we're leaving it to somebody else are y back gentle lady y's back anyone on the Republicans I9 the gentleman from Massachusetts Mr oen Claus recognized for five minutes thank you chair I move to strike the last word I want to respond first to the gentleman from California and I believe him when he says that he supports NIH funding but I'm disappointed in the tactic
▶ 4:33:29employed of laying out some some silly examples as an excuse to throw the baby out with the bath waterer the thing about curiosity driven peer-reviewed basic research is that you're going to have investigators pursue their curiosity and it's going to end up taking them sometimes to silly places and that's okay other times you know two amateur ornithologists who are also bicycle mechanics pursue their curiosity and they invent an airplane or sometimes some Engineers ask what happens if computers could talk to each other and you get the internet or sometimes people
▶ 4:33:59ask I wonder what would happen if you could edit DNA and you get crisper curiosity driven peer riew based research is not meant to pass the politician test it's meant to pass peer review it's meant to be scientifically rigorous and when politicians point out failures it inhibits the spirit of American curiosity in the Enterprise that makes us an Innovation Hub I want to also respond to the gentleman from Georgia and he had indicated that uh thankfully a federal judge stopped the
▶ 4:34:29NIH policy of 15% indirect cost recapture rate as though that somehow excuses Republicans in action on the matter the reason a judge stopped it is that it was illegal in 20178 in 2018 in 2019 2020 2021 22 23 24 in bipartisan majorities Congress said to the NIH you are not allowed to do this now the NIH I'm sure is telling the Republicans on the side no no we're allowed to do it because we're setting a different law that says actually on a caseby Case basis with
▶ 4:34:59documented exceptions we allowed to lower the IDC rate there was no documentation and this was not Case by case this was a chainsaw taken across the board dropping an average 60% IDC all the way to 15% you all think that somehow this is the administration taking it to the blue States and that they're mocking the blue States folks the administration is mocking you you're the ones who voted for this and the administration is ignoring you and you're right Harvard has a $50 billion endowment MIT is a $3 billion endowment they are in my home state uh you know I could point out
▶ 4:35:30that their endowments are largely restricted giving but you're you're probably right the big ones are going to be okay I challenge all of you go back to your districts talk to your academic medical centers your universities ask them how they're going to be because what they're going to tell you is Young investigators early stage scientists are giving up and as they're losing do you know who's winning China China is becoming a biotechnology Powerhouse you know there used to be a synthetic biology competition there still is I should say called em
▶ 4:36:00and for the first 15 years us teams of students were dominating having won having won 10 years now half of all 400 teams come from China China is doing 60% of synthetic biology public China is investing in dozens of Kendall squares all of across the country and from that biotechnology power comes economic competitiveness and comes military prowess so as we cut research infrastructure through this NIH 15% indirect cture policy ultimately
▶ 4:36:30it's going to be every American scientist red States and blue who suffers and it's going to be China who eats our lunch because of it I yield back Jim L yelds back seeing none on the Republican side the general lady from would thank you Mr chairman I first of all I just want to associate myself with so many of the remarks from my esteemed colleagues um about the NIH and what it means to arbitrarily say you can only
▶ 4:37:00spend a certain amount on indirect costs and I thought the first thing I should do is just remind people that the United States is the gold standard for research for reason we in a bipartisan way decided to fund the National Institutes of Health in order to supply the resources to our most brilliant scientists at universities across the country to do the research that would allow the entire world to take leaps forward and I think we are all so
▶ 4:37:30proud of this record of accomplishment in our country um in in my state I just across the water from from where I live we have the University Washington um which you would call Big but is not going to be okay with these Cuts I assure you we have Seattle Children's Hospital another leader in research Fred hutchon Cancer Research Center uh Harbor View researching brain trauma and other other trauma Washington
▶ 4:38:01University um they all get NIH funding and I have been getting panicked calls and texts from researchers saying this is going to shut down medical schools this is going to shut down our institutions and I will just tell you because much of what I was going to say has already been said that when it comes to Children um and I'm a pediatrician during my residency when I worked on the cancer Wards all those kids
▶ 4:38:31they were being treated on trial protocols on experimental protocols funded by the National Institutes of Health this is how they got got access to the groundbreaking new treatments that had the best chance of giving them a cure and by taking away this funding uh we are putting those kids' lives at risk I want to point out a couple other things just the the word indirect gets thrown out there as though
▶ 4:39:02it's um you know a slush fund or something like that the reality is direct funding is what you think of it's Laboratories it's the salaries for the scientists it's the it's the bench uh the place where they work indirect means that it may not be used for a single research project but it could be used for the entire University it could be the building the equipment the lab the infusion center the MRI machine it could be the grant writers uh it's keeping the lights on these are not insignificant
▶ 4:39:32needs and many as we've heard of our universities um get about 50% indirect costs and I also just want to clarify some math on that 50% does not mean that half of the money is spent on indirect it means that for every dollar spent on Research 50 cents is added for some of these uh equipment and upkeep and the like um we've also heard about um not just the the kids with cancer that I talked about but
▶ 4:40:02I I'm hearing stories about people who are in the middle of a trial right now they're getting their chemotherapy through NIH fun research and now all of a sudden that's stopped that is a very personal experience not of the researcher but of the patient who is depending on this and I I I want to just emphasize that this is gutting us Excellence us research and Innovation and it is gutting people's lives it is
▶ 4:40:32also for those students who are thinking of going into biomedical research now they're thinking twice they're thinking well why why would I go into a field where I'm being kneecapped already where there might not be funding for my work where I can't let my imagination go wild to to treat to find the cures for tomorrow's diseases and I just cannot emphasize enough the damage that this does so I would encourage my colleagues to support this
▶ 4:41:03amendment thank you the gentle lady yelds back that gent lady from New York is recognized for five minutes thank you um you know I I I think it's important for us to remind what this amendment is all about it's not about defunding uh studies that are deemed as wasteful it's about just assessing the impacts of these cuts on the ni on the current research that's happening right now when I was um 16
▶ 4:41:33years old my dad was diagnosed with a very rare form of lung cancer stage three and and it was very aggressive and I was in high school and we're in SLO we're uh at Memorial SLO ketering at the time and um his prognosis was not good and as a sophomore junior in high school um my mom she cleaned houses to make ends meet
▶ 4:42:04um I was on chip as a kid up and we looked towards the doctors at slone ketering the researchers at Lone ketering and we said is there anything you can do to save my Dad's life and they said with the current treatments that we have right now our options are very limited but there is an experimental trial that we can try
▶ 4:42:34to gain get him to and for millions of people across this country whose child has a rare disease whose parent is on death's door who they themselves have no recourse for treatment research clinical trials are one of the only options they have to extend their life my dad was admitted to that trial and his cancer went into
▶ 4:43:05remission for a brief period we got two to three more years with my dad before he eventually passed passed away and I can tell you that two more years with my dad three more years that a person has with their child or a lifetime for some people whose lives are saved by the nih's work do not think that this is wasteful they do not think that what is happening right
▶ 4:43:35now is acceptable and this amendment simply SE assess if any of this life-saving research is at risk due to these Cuts if you don't believe that Central Nervous stimulant should be should be explore the impacts of that should be explored on certain Mamon species fine if you don't think certain research on
▶ 4:44:05bedside manner regarding uh uh racial groups in this country is Rises to the level of Merit fine but this isn't about that this is about whether This research is being affected and shouldn't we want to know that and if not why don't we want to know that that's what this is about these are things that are pretty basic that I would think
▶ 4:44:35on a bipartisan basis we would be able to agree on just in a assessment on what is happening and what is being cut not an approval or disapproval but an understanding and proper oversight of what is actually going on with that I yield back the general lady yields uh the gentleman from Ohio is recogn I'm sorry the gentleman from uh Mr Guthrie is recognized M that'd be Griffith from Virginia Griff I appreciate it sorry that's what happens midaf
▶ 4:45:06afternoon Mr chairman um I I app appreciate the gentle lady's comments and uh I'm sorry about her father situation um that said as many of my colleagues have said this is this document that we're going over is inclusive I to want to have answers to the questions about whether or not the 15% is appropriate in biomedical research um I don't
▶ 4:45:36know the answer and I think that that the committee will do that but we don't need the amend to do that there are people on both sides of the aisle who agree we need to figure out what the right number is I'm not sure it's 50% I'm not sure it's 15% but it is something that I think that we as a committee are going to have to dig into and with that Mr chairman I yield back gentleman yields the gentleman from Ohio is recognized thank you Mr chair I move to strike the last
▶ 4:46:08word the the question here is is whether or not we're going to update our oversight rule to give folks who are deeply concerned about the loss of NIH funding some reason to believe that they may not lose the tens of millions of dollars that they desperately need to provide the care that they're providing and if there was a
▶ 4:46:39bipartisan here today on this amendment that said yeah no we're going to ask questions we're going to push in PR we're going to hold people accountable we're going to get to the bottom of this so that our universities and hospitals research institutions aren't punished that's that's the question so whether it's a cut or a cap it's still stealing money from hospitals and universities
▶ 4:47:09and we have this table where we can bring people in and ask them questions hold them accountable we can ask about the Eagles and the other things that maybe folks don't want to spend money on and then we can say hey don't do that but don't cut tens of millions of dollars from these local hospitals these local universities I I have a hospital that could lose
▶ 4:47:39up to $50 million a university that is likely going to lose up to $30 million that's what they're worried about they're worried about tens of millions of dollar so if you add all my hospitals and universities together we we could lose hundreds of millions of dollars and NIH funding now to put again to put people uh their minds at ease and say no no no there is going to be a bipar us an effort to ensure that doesn't happen the least we can do is add 10 words
▶ 4:48:09to say that we're going to hold a hearing or hearings to ensure that these indirect costs aren't done in a way that hurts our universities and colleges and research institutions period I yield back the gentleman yields the gentleman from California Mr Peters is recognized thank you Mr chair um this is about oversight Americans from all over including in my district want real oversight it's not about arguing the merits of a spending level at this point it's about how these CH
▶ 4:48:39these these spending decisions we've already made were changed util unilaterally by the president and one of the most important institutions were responsible for overseeing is the National Institutes of Health which drives our country's scientific research Enterprise and makes it the world leader it's a Playbook that other countries want to copy um funding from public research institutions like NIH and the National Science Foundation helps us access life-saving medicine strengthen our Health Care system and support
▶ 4:49:09small businesses industri across the country in my district in San Diego in 2023 we drew in about $2.2 billion in funding from the NIH and NSF Regional economy which um sustains a a strong public private life sciences ecosystem turn that 2.2 billion dollar into 56.6 billion do in total economic output that's more than the entire NIH budget during the fiscal year and that doesn't just boost areas like San Francisco Boston and San Diego
▶ 4:49:39it supports sign scientist families and small businesses in every state including red States like North Carolina Florida and Alabama we should have those debates but what we shouldn't be doing is watch the White House on on January 27th issue a memo freezing Federal funding for all federal agencies including NIH almost immediately families with sick children and those enrolled in clinical trials struggle to access the medicines they need to survive including one trial at moris Cancer Center at UC San Diego which I visited this week and this is what
▶ 4:50:09you're talking about talk about waste if if they don't get paid they have to shut down their clinical trial and all the benefit of the work they've done so far will be lost they'll have to either not have that research or have to do it again that's waste that's waste we don't want that and by the way it's not the it's not the president's decision to make when we've approved this already um so that's why a federal judge put a temporary restraining order preventing the freeze while these legal arguments unfold in court on the 7th of February the Trump Administration announced that would illegally
▶ 4:50:40slash grants with help that help University research programs keep up with increasing overhead costs like rent lab equipment utilities safety cyber security and more and I as a lawyer I don't throw a word the round illegally lightly Mr fluger raised this and I respect him but the law prevents any Administration Republican or Democrat from unilaterally changing existing contracts every member of this committee should want to investigate potential violations of federal Contracting laws and should hold on to the right of the power of the purse for the for this Congress
▶ 4:51:11I have not seen one member of the opposite party from the Speaker of the House Down stand up for for article one for the Congress of the United States as a independent co-equal branch of government and until that happens um this this place is not going to work and I'm not asking you to agree with the funding level at this point let's have that discussion we should have that discussion maybe you want more maybe you want less but that's our decision to make it's not to be done util laterally by any execu netive a few days
▶ 4:51:41after the Trump administration's announcement a federal judge temporary blocked the NH cut from going into effect um but that kind of change has to come from Congress so um contrary to what Republic some people would have you believe NH workers are not deep State leftist bureaucrats sit sitting around and twiddling their thumbs they're some of America's brightest and best scientists working to cure Alzheimers which if we don't get ahead of that is going to break the budget of this country cancer rare diseases um um I'll
▶ 4:52:12argue v v vociferously against Cuts but what I what I'll say today is this is about oversight and you would not let any Democratic president go run this Mischief on the federal government so let's stick together as an institution let's do the right thing and let's add this specific thing to our oversight plan and get ahead of it um price tags are only good up with time and um obviously uh the more you we let this get away from us and let this executive
▶ 4:52:42overreach go unchecked less power we have as an institution and less power less ability we are able to to to have to do what our constituents sent us to do here when they elected us on the same day as they elected Donald Trump we have jobs here that are independent let's do them I yield back the gentleman yields the chair recognizes the general lady from Florida Miss Caster thank you Mr chairman I want to thank representative TR for bringing this important Amendment uh and rep Fletcher your history lesson was was very eliminating thank you
▶ 4:53:12and uh all of the members I think have offered thoughtful comments and and representative Peters is right this is too important for our Republican colleagues to abdicate their responsibility to put your head in the sand to the fact that that Elon Musk um and this Administration now have made this illegal shutdown of NIH grants thankfully the courts have stepped in and said that it that looks like it's illegal uh there's
▶ 4:53:42just too much at stake here and we need to work together to to continue to keep um medical research biomedic research the top in the world we cannot seed that that to China I'm not willing to do that but I just I just urge you to join us and Mr chairman I've asked on a few of these uh has the majority sent any letter um or at all to the Administration uh on
▶ 4:54:12this topic of the NIH uh shutdown in Grants or on this issue we will check with staff okay it's just too important and it's one of the reasons I know we all want to serve on this committee the Energy and Commerce Committee because we want our neighbors back home to be healthy and well and I've really learned a lot leading the Children's Healthcare caucus the children's pediatric cancer caucus and I've learned so much from the the
▶ 4:54:42patients my neighbors the doctors and researchers back home at the mfet Cancer Centers the lead Cancer Research Institute in the Southeast or the University of South Florida where they do extraordinary research on diabetes and brain traumatic brain injury and they've been out front on cure and prevention of Alzheimer's I will never forget the young woman who said met me at USF at the Alzheimer's Institute who said with the the University
▶ 4:55:12of South Florida with what they're able to do my mother is more engaged her Alzheimer's they're able to delay the the total onset so that they know each other and can enjoy life um the patients that that talk about the therapies for breast cancer treatment the advances that we've seen because thankfully America is the lead in the world in doing this and right now
▶ 4:55:43rep Peters is right you throw a wrench into it clinical trials are delayed treatments and cures are delayed I think about the researchers how they um at Moffet Cancer Center or the University of Florida which is probably the lead institution in Florida for for nah dollars or Florida State University um my alma Mo they are doing extraordinary work and they don't this isn't wasteful stuff this is of multiple Myoma how you treat
▶ 4:56:13leukemia uh they're attracting postdoc researchers from across the world I can't tell you how many I've met from overseas who come here to America to learn and to find these treatments and cures there is something sinister going on here because this is a page out of the project 2025 Playbook if you Google it if you look it up this is what they said they would do and despite the fact that president said oh I didn't I we're not doing that they're doing it uh
▶ 4:56:44project 2025 said okay maybe this NIH money maybe instead of going to our research institutions and finding treatments and cures we'll do a block grant to the states is that what's happening next our Republicans going to continue to be silent when that happens going to continue to put your head in the sand turn your back on our neighbors back home who rely on medical research to stay healthy and well and to diseases let's do this oversight it's our responsibility together I don't care
▶ 4:57:14if you're a Democrat or Republican it's our responsibility to our neighbors we owe them that so vote Yes on this amendment and let's get to work you back General lady yields the chair recognized as a gentleman from Texas Mr fluger thank you Mr chairman I just um throughout the early portion of this debate and I think it will go probably far into the night as well um is really exciting actually and I think this committee stands to the vigorous debate that we're having
▶ 4:57:44we really stand to um to continue this throughout the year because this particular committee is going to address many of the issues that we're that we're we're facing in our country uh so I am personally glad to see a call for oversight uh from our colleagues because for the last four years we haven't had that and we've had a lot of people testify in front of this committee um and other committees and I'll just draw your ATT attention speaking of the NIH remember how we got here remember
▶ 4:58:15about the lack of trust that our country formed in people like Dr Anthony fouchy and I'll just read you David morrens was a fouchy Aid a career NIH scientist and by the way NIH does amazing things the competitive Advantage is our Innovation the science that we do leads the world we need to continue this we're going to continue this but my constituents want to look under the hood and understand that there that are there things that we can do more efficiently they they're asking me that so as much as we're hearing from the other side you're not hearing it but I'll
▶ 4:58:45tell you and speak for this side that we want to know we're doing this correctly this was just one example that that forign morens the former Aid said he said I can either send when when when sending emails uh on a personal uh email instead of government email but it was government business he said I can either send stuff to Tony on his private Gmail or hand it to him at work he is too smart to let colleagues send him stuff that could cause trouble morens wrote in a 2021 email released by the committee and then he says I quote
▶ 4:59:15I learn from our foia lady here how to make emails disappear after I am foi but before the search starts so I think we are all safe morrens wrote in a separate email that's just one example guys now throwing the baby out with the bath water no but we do have a responsibility to do oversight so Mr chairman thank you for holding an oversight uh structural conversation and it sounds like both Republicans and Democrats are all on board to do oversight in the
▶ 4:59:45government uh and to make sure that our agencies are actually operating efficiently I'll yield back gentleman yields the chair recognizes Mr Carter from Louisiana thank you Mr chairman strike to strike the last word please move to strike the last word listen you know I heard earlier one of my colleagues say that preventive versus Curative that preventive care cost far less but reap
▶ 5:00:17benefits well what is research research gives us the ability to to identify and prevent dreaded diseases I know in my district in Louisiana we have some of the best research hosp hospitals anywhere and I know that they tell me that their return on investment is for every dollar that's spent there's some $3 in return on the investment preventive care
▶ 5:00:47versus Curative Care we also know that in if there's one area where there has been nearly if not zero cases of fraud or abuse it's been in National Health National Institute Health funding so when we know that we have this return on investment that comes back back to the federal government and back to the American people in multiple ways why would we
▶ 5:01:17Endeavor to impact NIH when we look at the dreaded diseases that we end up spending billions of dollars on in Curative Care that are fixed with preventive care through research if there's something that should never be viewed as political our partisan research medical research our young best and brightest who
▶ 5:01:48are preparing themselves are having to leave our country because they don't believe that we believe in research we talk about a brain drain we talk about losing our best and our brightest to China or to other places who are in fact investing in research yet because of this willy-nilly effect of let's just crash and burn cut and ask questions later
▶ 5:02:18cut and let's see what impact it has cut and then let's uncut because oops we cut too fast oops we didn't mean to cut that we need that how about looking and seeing what these things do before you cut how about a little bit of preventive care on watching what you're doing one thing I know that uh Mr Trump and Mr musk understand return on investment this is a return on investment
▶ 5:02:48that is unimpeachable the data is empirical I implore you to get your hands off NIH get your hands off research dollars get your hands off our doctors and our research scientists who is saving lives every day this is not political this is not partisan this is the right thing to do for all the right reasons I yield well the gentleman yield yes
▶ 5:03:19so so um I just want to briefly say uh M Mr Peters gave the whole Litany of what happened with with Doge and everybody trying to to freeze all of this biomedical spending and then the court ordered them to start it up again but but he didn't mention that what happened and this is why we Mr chairman this is why we have to have a hearing into what they're doing to NIH because what the Trump Administration did after they were ordered by the court
▶ 5:03:49to restore the funding is they simply stopped having the um the Federal Register H um notice these review meetings so so in other words what they said is you can't have a grant review meeting and that has frozen any approv approval of new grants in the entire United States hundreds of studies are at a stand still including pancreatic cancer brain injuries and
▶ 5:04:19child health last week the NIH cancelled 42 out of 47 scheduled meetings to assess new grants including um grants on drug users and HIV including a review panel for a a Grant application on staff infections in people with diabetes and on and on universities because of this technicality that nobody has paid any attention to have stopped all this funding coming to institutions and have stopped the grants
▶ 5:04:50and so this is why we need to have a hearing to figure out what the heck the Trump Administration is doing and how this is impacting our research institutions and I would ask unanimous consent to put this article where I got this information from paying for science from The New York Times in this morning's New York Times into the record I'd ask you now consent we will review the article the general lady yields uh the chair recognizes the general lady from Virginia Miss mclen thank you Mr chair I
▶ 5:05:20I'm glad to hear my colleague from Virginia say that he wants to look into and possibly have a hearing on these cuts and they are Cuts because when you put a cap on costs that causes a university Research Center to you lose 6 million as VCU in my district has estimated they will or $13 million as Virginia Tech
▶ 5:05:51in the gentleman's district will or $39 million that UVA in Virginia will or additional cuts that James Madison University of Richmond Virginia State University to the total for Virginia losing around $78 million funding if a 15% across the but cap cross the board cap goes in place I hope this hearing looks into the damaging effects that taking a
▶ 5:06:21chainsaw to something that needs a scalpel will have because a 15% across the board cut VCU very differently from Harvard because this this Cuts not in a vacuum VC U doesn't have a Harvard like or even a UVA like endowment VCU is one of the largest safety net hospitals in
▶ 5:06:51Virginia relies very heavily on Medicaid funding which is going to be cut as we've discussed earlier their student base relies very heavily on financial aid or scholarships many of them are first time first generation non-traditional students who typically work while going and so this cut combined with the cuts to Medicaid combined with the stress
▶ 5:07:22that are going to be on the Commonwealth of Virginia as they try to help fill this hole to keep the research done with these grants from stopping and what is it you know I ask go talk to your your institutions that are doing this research I did and I ask give me an example of of of something that you are worried is going to stop and we talked about brain cancer but not
▶ 5:07:52all brain tumors come from brain cancer all cancers when they metastasize eventually result in brain tumors that's what happened with my father when he had kidney cancer and when you have radiation or chemotherapy it is a broad very debilitating treatment for sometimes a tumor that is as big as the tip of my pen what killed my father
▶ 5:08:22was not the brain tumor what killed my father ultimately was the effects of the treatment but one of our institutions in Virginia has a clinical trial for targeted injection-based metastatic brain tumor treatment and they don't know if they can continue it and they don't have an endowment that they can go to they don't have a rich alumni base that they can go to they're already
▶ 5:08:52underfunded by the Commonwealth of Virginia which has to balance its budget and can't print money so when you think about all of these cuts and when we look at the impact in our oversight role of all of these Cuts remember they're not an EV vacuum and an across the board one siiz cut is going to hit each of our constituents in each of our economies very differently because in Virginia alone NIH
▶ 5:09:22funding sustains over 7,000 jobs and adds nearly $ 1.73 billion dollar of economic activity to our Commonwealth that's just in Virginia alone so I look forward to an oversight hearing with my colleague from Virginia on these cuts and how they impact how they intersect with the Medicaid Cuts we expected when we get F $880 billion to fund tax cuts for billionaires
▶ 5:09:53I you back is there any further discussion on the amendment seeing none the vote occurs on the amendment the ranking member has asked for a recorded vote the role will call the vote the clerk will call the role Mr L Mr Griffith Mr Griffith votes no
▶ 5:10:23Mr bakus Mr bakus votes no Mr Hudson Mr Hudson votes no Mr Carter of Georgia Mr Carter of Georgia votes no Mr Palmer Mr Palmer votes no Mr Dunn Mr Dunn votes no Mr kenshaw
▶ 5:10:54Mr Joyce Mr Joyce votes no Mr Weber Mr Allen M rubber votes no Mr Allen vote Mr Allen votes no Mr balderson Mr balderson votes no Mr fure Mr fure votes no Mr fluger Mr fluger votes
▶ 5:11:25no Mrs harshbarger Mrs harshbarger votes no Mrs Meeks Mrs Miller Meeks votes no Mrs kamik Mrs kamik votes no Mr oberti Mr oberti votes no Mr James Mr B Mr Ben votes no Mrs hin Mr Fry
▶ 5:11:55Miss Lee Mr Langworthy Mr Kane Mr Kane votes no Mr rouy M Mr ruy votes no Mr Evans Mr Evans votes no Mr Goldman Mr Goldman votes no Mrs fedorek Mrs fedorek votes no Mr palone
▶ 5:12:26Mr palone votes I miss deette miss deette votes I miss chowski miss trakowski votes i m matsi Miss Matsui votes I miss Caster Miss Caster votes I Mr tonco Miss Clark Mr Ruiz Mr Ruiz votes I
▶ 5:12:56Mr Peters Mr Peters votes I Mrs Dingle Mrs Dingle votes I Mr VC Mr VC votes I Miss Kelly Miss Kelly votes I miss beragon miss beragon votes I Mr SoDo Mr SoDo votes I miss shrier miss shrier votes I Mr Tran
▶ 5:13:26Miss Tran votes I miss Fletcher Miss Fletcher votes I miss Osio Cortez Miss Ocasio Cortez votes I Mr aen Claus Mr Claus votes I Mr Carter of Louisiana Mr Carter of Louisiana votes I Mendez Mr Menendez votes I Mr Mullen Mr lansman Mr lansman
▶ 5:13:57votes I miss mclen miss mclen votes I chairman Guthrie chairman got three votes no how is Mr L recorded Mr L is not recorded Mr L votes
▶ 5:14:33no the clerk will report the result chairman Joyce on that vote there were 21 eyes and 24 nose the amendment is not agreed to are there any further amendments what purpose does a gentle lady seek recognition Mr chairman I have
▶ 5:15:03an amendment at the desk labeled h19 the clerk will report the amendment amendment to draft oversight plan h19 on page three after quote making sure tax without objection the reading of the amendment is dispensed with and the gentle lady is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment thank you Mr chairman as all of us know long-term care is a crisis in this
▶ 5:15:33country this amendment would require the committee to study the impact of cutting Federal Medicaid coverage and access to Long-Term Care for Seniors and people disabilities Medicaid is a Lifeline for millions of seniors and older Americans on fixed incomes I think we all talk about it intellectually but until you've navigated the system which unfortunately many
▶ 5:16:03of us have here we do not realize how broken the system is or how How Deeply fractured it is and quite frankly all of us here are a lot luckier than most Americans across this country Medicaid is the single largest payer of long-term health care services and it currently covers long-term care for millions of seniors and individuals disabilities it covers institutional
▶ 5:16:35care uh and almost 62% of inst tional care in this country is paid for by Medicare right now and individual states can seek waivers to provide Home and Community Based Services or HCB HCB home CBS which by the way we should be looking at doing more because most seniors want to stay in their own home in the community that they are in and this actually saves federal
▶ 5:17:05dollars and there're more than almost a million people on the way list for that I've introduced several pieces of legislation to strengthen access to HCBS and bolster the caregiving Workforce who provide these critical services and while I remain entirely focused on continuing to support these efforts I'm deeply deeply concerned about what will happen to seniors in this country if Medicaid is cut and we are cutting support for seniors and
▶ 5:17:35with that need and are desperate for long-term care care services when faced with these cutting these funding Cuts States will have to limit the level of the service they provide forcing many to foro the care or to pay outof pocket expenses they don't have it'll place a tremendous financial burden on the seniors and individuals living with disabilities who depend on long-term care services to lead healthy and dignified
▶ 5:18:06lives many seniors and older americ Americans survive off of low incomes or have chronic health conditions that prohibit them from working Medicaid allows these individuals living on fixed incomes and often have chronic diseases to continue getting the care they need by filling in the gaps that their Medicare coverage doesn't have without having to worry about choosing between food and housing and their
▶ 5:18:36health Medicaid has long been considered one of the most effective anti-poverty programs in the nation and its expansion has significantly improved Health outcomes for seniors and older adults they've worked hard their whole life they've earned to the right to live with dignity and respect and not be desperate about how they can even afford their medicine and the food on their table in a nation where out of-pocket healthc care spending Force more than 10
▶ 5:19:06million Americans into poverty in 216 alone Medicaid serves as a Lifeline not only for health care but economic stability As Americans age it's a slash in funding will result in a reduction of long-term care services that too many people rely on I this study is important because they're too many families where the spouse doesn't they have don't doesn't know what they're going to do or how to take
▶ 5:19:36care of someone they love and if they can't find the caregiver they've got to give up their job and they're in a more vicious circle of what happens we need to be discussing much needed invents investments in our long-term care infrastructure and our caregiving Workforce to ensure that we're doing this right that we're giving people the support that they need and families aren't left destitute living on the street or the worst dying
▶ 5:20:07because they have no option so I urge this committee to take a very serious look and study and oversight long-term care in this country and how we can make it easier more affordable reduce costs because we can some very simple ways and meet a moral commitment we should have to our seniors thank you very much and I yield back the general lady yields the chair recognize the gentleman from Florida Dr Dunn
▶ 5:20:37uh thank you moveed to Strike last word You' recognized you've been recognized thank you uh Mr chairman we share bipartisan interest in making sure that Medicaid can provide care for our nation's most vulnerable including ensuring that it continue to provide long-term care for our nation's seniors and peop with disabilities what this amendment fails to acknowledge is the devastating impacts that the Biden Administration did to the long-term care access in just four years the nursing
▶ 5:21:07home Staffing rate ratio rule is the single biggest threat to our nation's long-term care system over 80% of nursing homes cannot comply with the rule and are at risk of closing the access rule would require sizable pass through payments for long-term care providers that are in theory good but are untenable for the states to pay out States like California and New York as well as disability uh uh rights groups like Arc wrote strong opposition against
▶ 5:21:37this rule out of fear that it would gut home and community- based long-term care what's more is that the Biden Administration saddled the states with hundreds of billions of dollars in new Medicaid regulations that will threaten access to Home and Community Based Services as well as long-term care to me this amendment is redundant because the oversight plan already calls out the waste and abuse of the last four years and the harm that is it is bringing to the Medicaid Program real cuts to long-term care are
▶ 5:22:07already happening as we speak because of the Biden Administration and our first goal needs to be to reverse that course Mr chair i y back the gentleman yields the chair now recognizes the ranking member of the entire committee Mr palone thank you Mr chairman and I I would like to well first of all let me thank uh Debbie Dingle because I know that she has been working on long-term care for so many years um and has introduced legislation um and of course
▶ 5:22:38what she when she talked about homebased as an alternative to institutional it's certainly something that we all desire but I do want to talk about nursing home care right now uh and I heard what Dr Dunn said whether or not um you agree with um what the Biden Administration did with nurse staffing ratios or with other regulations and of course I do support what they did bottom line is that if you cut um funding
▶ 5:23:08for Medicaid uh that pays for nursing home care um you're only going to make the situation worse I mean what you're hearing from States is that you know uh the expense I suppose or you know trying to get adequate number of nurses or nurses AIDS or whatever but you're only going to aggravate that situation even more if you make Cuts in a level of funding it's not waste uh it's it's the fact that they maybe have
▶ 5:23:38a harder time finding people that will actually perform the care it's not an issue of waste FR and abuse it's an issue of having enough money enough money to pay the salaries having the people educated the cost of the education for the nurses AIDS and for the nurses but I want to tell you this these nursing homes and and you probably agree with me they operate um on such a a minimal level of funding now that um if you start making Cuts in their funding
▶ 5:24:08you are definitely going to see nursing homes close you're going to see them sending those uh individuals back to the caregivers if there is one those caregivers are going to have to you know they won't even know what to do they lose their job because they can't take care of the loved one but the main thing you're going to see is the quality of care in these instit in these nursing homes going down you know I've been here a long time I guess I guess I've been here longer than anybody else to be honest I
▶ 5:24:38remember even before I came to Congress when I was in the state's legislature we had in New Jersey Fires at nursing homes the situation at nursing homes because of the lack of funding was so bad that we had people killed in fires and nursing homes all over the state but even particularly in I remember in my district uh in my state legislative district these places are operating on a very minimal level of uh of funding
▶ 5:25:09you'll see the not you'll see them uh not having enough nurses you'll see them cutting back on uh everything uh application of medication um you'll see fire and safety codes go down the drain um I can't emphasize enough uh the qual how the quality of nursing homes will go downhill uh it's not just a question of closing a lot of them will close but a lot of them will try to continue to provide services
▶ 5:25:39and won't have uh the the funding to do so so when you talk about Medicaid cuts to nursing homes you are literally causing you will literally see people die they will not have someone to turn them over they'll have more bed sores they'll end up in the emergency room more often because they can't be cared for at their nursing home I mean I've seen it myself I've been to these places many times a lot of people don't like I'm not saying anybody here cuz I know you care but
▶ 5:26:10um you know a lot of people don't understand that they don't even want to go to a nursing home they don't think about a nursing home they put it out of their mind because they don't you know they don't want to think about what goes on but the quality of nursing home care has significally increased believe it or not over the last 20 30 40 50 years but if you start making major cuts to Medicaid that are going to impact these nursing homes you're going to go back to where we were 40 50 years ago fires safety
▶ 5:26:41uh unhealthy conditions like you've never seen and I know I I may sound like I'm exaggerating but I'm not because I've seen it I've seen it happen and so that's why it's so important to have some oversight about what's going on here and that's why I support the gentleman from Michigan's amendment I yield back Mr chairman the gentleman yields the chair recognizes the gentleman from California Dr Ruiz thank you uh the question here is whether or not uh this committee will provide oversight
▶ 5:27:11on the effects cutting Federal funding on coverage and access to Long-Term Care for Seniors and people with disabilities we know that the drastic changes to Medicaid uh will result on in cuts to the program uh we know that it's going to affect the American people in drastic waves so what's the opposition why will you vote no uh and why not look into the eyes of people whose lives will be hurt due to
▶ 5:27:41these cuts to Medicaid so I I I took the opportunity and asked around and let me tell you a couple stories uh one is a text I received from a dear friend of mine who also is my staffer uh who says that my 30-year-old brother has developmental disorders and is currently in the care of a state hospital in Wisconsin he is on Medicaid he no longer needs the level of institutional care at the hospital but they can't release him without a place to go
▶ 5:28:11he was supposed to be put in an assisted apartment situation soon an apartment where there would be 247 assistant someone to come by and make sure he takes his pills and cleans him Etc however because of the threats of Medicaid cuts the state is pulling back Medicaid home and communitybased services already so my brother just lost that housing care opportunity now he will have to stay institutionalized which cost the state more money than the HCBS programs until they can find
▶ 5:28:42some other alternative here's another uh email from John in Bermuda Dunes who said uh you know I'm an HIV patient on the medication Victory it is paid for by copay relief which is federally funded I cannot afford it and will not survive without it it is in the thousands of dollars of year a year and my parents are in Assisted Living in New York which is paid for by Medicaid without it
▶ 5:29:12they literally have nowhere to go and I'll read this just because it's pertinent in the general scheme of what Trump is doing to our Workforce he continues saying that my niece and her husband are federal employees who have recently received resignation letters one is employed by the homeland security the other is a patent attorney and they will be left without a source of income they have been federally employed since graduate school for which they still have student loans they have four children these are real
▶ 5:29:42impacts by these actions that are being done with complete disregard to the human story behind them you know there are people who are suffering and will suffer uh with these Medicaid cuts the face of these failed policies or these attempts to rip away Health Care insurance
▶ 5:30:13in the patients are not smiling they are unhappy and they are concerned with that I yield back the gentleman real yields the chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia Mr Carter thank you Mr chairman move the stri last word you know uh to my friends on the other side of the aisle we share a bipartisan interest
▶ 5:30:43we share a bipartisan interest in making sure that Medicaid can provide care for our nation's most vulnerable including ensuring that it continue it can continue to provide long-term care for our nation's seniors and people with disabilities I hate to be redundant but as I told you I was a consultant pharmacist and nursing homes so I hung out in nursing homes all week long and on weekends so at firsthand what this amendment fails to acknowledge however is the devastating
▶ 5:31:13impacts that the Biden Administration did to long-term care access in just four years in just four years the nursing home Staffing ratio rule is the single biggest threat to our nation's long-term care system over 80% of nursing homes cannot comply with the rule and are at risk of closing now you want to talk about quality care what about no care whatsoever if 80% of the nursing homes close then we have no care whatsoever the access rule
▶ 5:31:43would require sizable pass through payments for long-term care providers that are in theory good but are untenable for states to pay out States like California New York as well as disability rights groups like The Arc wrote strong opposition against this rule out of fear that it would gut home and community- based Long-Term Care New York and California blue States both of them they wrote letters in strong opposition against this rule out of fear that
▶ 5:32:13it would gut home and community-based care what's more is that the Biden Administration saddled the states with hundreds of billions of dollars in new Medicaid regulations that will threaten access to Home and community-based Services and long-term care to me this amendment is redundant it's redundant because the oversight plan already calls out the waste and abuse use of the last four years and the harm that it is bringing to the Medicaid Program
▶ 5:32:44real cuts to long-term care already happening as we speak as we speak because of the Biden Administration and our first goal needs to be to reverse that course Mr chairman I yield back the gentleman yields is there any additional discussion on the amendment Miss Baragon from California uh thank you Mr chairman my colleagues want to
▶ 5:33:14talk about what the last Administration did yeah my colleagues today in a few hours House Republicans are going to vote on a budget that's going to betray the American people by taking away Health Care from hardworking families while giving more than four trillion dollars in tax breaks to donors and corporations
▶ 5:33:45what does that mean that means that there's needs to be at least $880 billion do in cuts to Medicaid what does that mean that means long-term care is at risk nursing homes is at risk that is the vote that my colleagues are going to take tonight and when they vote Yes for the budget on the resolution they're voting to cut Medicaid
▶ 5:34:15and they are voting to cut long-term care and investments in nursing homes this amendment is merely a study to say let's look at what the effects are of cutting Federal Medicaid funding and what is it going to do to Long-Term Care for Seniors and people with disabilities that's what this is and my colleagues across the aisle say we don't even want to look at
▶ 5:34:45this we don't want to know about this let me shed some light on why that might be I don't know let's see representative bacus in Florida's 12th District 16% of his district are seniors with Medicaid who may rely on just this long-term Nursing Care in home care representative Carter 133% of his district are just seniors with Medicaid this is not even
▶ 5:35:16talking about children or people with disabilities representative kamik hers is higher it's at 16% in Florida's Third District representative Evans in 7% of his district is seniors with Medicaid 49% are children with with Medicaid they have chip and rely on chip so I tell the American people look to see what your representatives
▶ 5:35:46are doing are they fighting to invest in nursing home care are they fighting to keep and fight back against the cuts to inhome care and long-term care so I implore people watching today especially those percentages to see the vote not just on this amendment on whether they stand for or against even looking what Medicaid Cuts will do to long-term care but that vote they're going
▶ 5:36:16to take this evening whether they're voting to cut Medicaid which is cutting investments in long-term care and nursing care what you hear otherwise is all smoke and mirrors what you hear otherwise is all smoke and mirrors with that I yeld back with the general I will yield to uh Miss Dingle thank you I would just like to take this last minute to um with respect for my colleagues object to the fact that improving Quality
▶ 5:36:46Care in nursing homes is the worst thing that ever happened to nursing homes long-term care is in crisis in this country but it's in crisis because one we can't find caregivers we don't invest in caregivers we don't pay them a decent wage or give them benefits so these homes can't find caregivers and two many of these long-term care homes are owned by billionaires who are trying to make money and don't want to invest in Quality Health Care for those that are in these institutions
▶ 5:37:17and I quite find it I find it offensive to say investing in quality long-term care for our seniors making sure that they're getting the kind of attention that they need is one of the worst things that ever happened I think our seniors deserve Quality Health Care with a with enough caregivers to make sure they're getting the kind of care they need and if we were to look at homebased Community Care which we've been trying to do in this committee for a while we would be able to lessen the cost in improve the care of our seniors
▶ 5:37:47and quality care and investing in caregivers is not the worst thing we can do for our seniors providing them quality care and not making the billionaires money is is what I think we should be investing in and looking at now you'll back thank you w Dingle I just want to say I think we should all stand with seniors and invest in care not with the billionaires and the corporations I yeld back General General lady yields the chair recognizes a general lady from New York uh thank you Mr chairman I
▶ 5:38:18I heard the point made earlier that the concern here is around sustainability of Medicaid that Medicaid is getting too expensive we cannot sustain uh this level of output and so therefore we are going to that what is the term they're trying not trying to say Cuts so they're saying lower caps on spending but that's the argument right but if that were true then one would think
▶ 5:38:48that the so-called cost savings from certain wasteful Cuts would be reinvested in Medicaid however that is not what the committee is proposing they are proposing that we have cuts to these essential programs in order to pay for Elon Musk tax breaks the order has come down to this committee find
▶ 5:39:19$880 billion find it for what to pay for a tax cut bill that benefits tax cuts on yachts and private jets and billionaires and mega corporations while secretaries workingclass people pay higher effective tax rates than Facebook does undocumented immigrants in this country pay more in taxes than many large corporations do
▶ 5:39:49and so the the argument here that these Cuts need to be for the sustainability of Medicaid doesn't really make sense when you realize that these cuts are being just moved to justify expenditures and deficit spending in another area this is about how we funnel money away from the working class and towards the rich and if we genuinely care about the sustainability of Medicaid my question would be
▶ 5:40:20what is the plan to do that where are the reinvestments in these quote unquote cost savings going to because it's certainly not going into reinvestments in care with that I yield back the general lady yields the chair recognizes the general lady from Virginia Miss mclen thank you um I move to strike the word I've heard twice now uh my colleagues on the other side of the aisle say that part of
▶ 5:40:50the reason for increases in costs for long-term Hair Care are the Staffing ratio requirements let's talk about why the Staffing ratio requirements were put in place it was to improve the quality of life of residents in long-term care to provide necessary assistance with their daily living activities their medical needs and overall wellbeing what does that mean have you ever had a parent
▶ 5:41:21in long-term care and you come to visit them and they're lying in their own feces because no one has come to help them go to the bathroom because the facility that they're in doesn't have enough providers or or or Workforce have you ever had a parent you come to visit them and their hip
▶ 5:41:51is broken because they fell out of bed and they laid on the floor because no one was able to pick them up have you had a parent in long-term care who you watch their mental health decline because of how agitated they get when they need help brushing their teeth they can't get somebody to come in I have I was really proud to be
▶ 5:42:22on the science space and Technology committee because every day in a hearing I would see a portrait of Eddie Bernice Johnson a hero to me Eddie Bernice Johnson died of an infection from complications from back surgery when she was left to lay in her feces so part of the
▶ 5:42:53point of a Health Care system that cares for our seniors is not just making sure they get the basic care they need but that it's quality care and when we can't when we get to the point where we can't take care of our own family members anymore in some cases family members who took care of other family members or other people or in my mother's
▶ 5:43:23mother's and sisters case cared for other people long term for Jim Crow wages or their grandparents who did it for free under the instit tion of slavery let's talk about the real reasons for the increase in cost of care because we recognize care workers deserve higher wages including those that are funded through Medicaid because
▶ 5:43:53we recognize we need more of them to care for the Boomers who are not aging they're agid I'm I'm 52 I'm Gen X let's talk about the real reasons for the cost and not just sit back and say we're going to have this blanket demonization of something we disagree with without actually going in and talking to the patients and their family members that benefit from the new rules i y back
▶ 5:44:24General lady yields is there any additional discussion on the have seeing none there's a call for a roll call vote the clerk will call the rule Mr L Mr L no Mr L votes
▶ 5:44:54no Mr Griffith no Mr Griffith votes no Mr bakis no Mr Mr bakus votes no Mr Hudson no Mr Hudson votes no Mr Carter of Georgia Mr Carter of Georgia votes no Mr
▶ 5:45:26Palmer Mr Palmer votes no Mr Dunn Mr Dunn votes no kensaw Mr Joyce Mr Joyce votes no Mr Weber Mr Weber votes
▶ 5:45:57no Mr Allen Mr Allen votes no Mr balderson Mr balderson votes no Mr fure Mr fure votes no Mr fluger Mr fluger votes no Mrs harburger Mrs harburger votes no
▶ 5:46:28Mrs Miller Meeks Mrs Miller Meeks votes no Mrs Mrs kamik votes no Mr oberti Mr oberti votes no Mr James Mr B Mr B votes no Mrs hin Mr Fry Miss
▶ 5:46:58Lee Mr Langworthy Mr Kane Mr rouy Mr Ry votes no Mr Evans Mr Evans votes no Mr Goldman Mr Goldman votes no Mrs fedorek Mrs fedorek votes no Mr palone Mr palone votes I miss deette miss deette votes I miss chowski miss chowski votes I
▶ 5:47:28miss Matsui Miss Matsui votes I miss Caster Miss Caster votes I Mr tonco Mr tonko votes I miss CL Clark Mr Ruiz Mr Ruiz votes I Mr Peters Mr Peters votes I Mrs Dingle Mrs Dingle votes I Mr VC Mr VC votes I Miss Kelly Miss Kelly votes I miss Bagan Miss beragon votes I Mr SoDo Mr SoDo votes I
▶ 5:47:58miss shrier miss Sher votes I miss Trahan Miss Trahan votes I miss Fletcher Miss Fletcher votes I Miss Ocasio Cortez Miss Osio Cortez votes I Mr aen Claus Mr aen Claus votes I Mr Carter of Louisiana Mr Carter of Louisiana votes I Mendez Mr Mendez votes I Mr Mullen Mr lansman Mr lansman votes I
▶ 5:48:29miss mquan miss mclen votes I chairman Guthrie no chairman Guthrie votes no chman Joyce on that vote there were 22 eyes
▶ 5:48:59and 23 nose the amendment is not agreed to are there any further am amendments yes I have an amendment at the uh at the desk the clerk will report the amendment Mr chairman the amendment is c
▶ 5:49:32c c oh CNT okay amendment to draft oversight plan cm6 including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the committee's without objection the reading of the amendment is dispensed with and the general lady is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment well thank you Mr chairman and I will get to the consumer product safety commission but I want to start with uh a mention was made of our
▶ 5:50:02former U president and um I want wanted to make a comment about the present president um so Donald Trump promised to all me all people in the United States that there was going to be this almost magical um decrease in costs we were going to have more people who were um going to en enjoy all the things of
▶ 5:50:33good life um because of his of his leadership and nothing could have been further from the truth and as the month now have gone has gone on I think we see even further what the damages is being are being done and we're talking about some of them right now I talked about two women who thought about committing suicide because they thought their Medicaid
▶ 5:51:03was going to be gone and so they wouldn't be able to live the life they have and they wanted to just give it up and and now uh we're in a situation where we want to make sure that the basics in life are and and that we shouldn't have competition with the wealthiest people on Earth right now with the people who are among the poorer
▶ 5:51:33people in our country who need basic health care I also just want to point out we have never talked about health care as uh in in other countries around the world um in domestic uh countries that have their own Health Care Systems but we and along with um private Equity has gotten very involved in the money version of making
▶ 5:52:03sure we have the me the the F the uh health care that we need but we also talked a lot about um the uh con Consumer Financial Protection Agency and I wanted to just say this we have an agency that is looking out for our safety to make sure that we're not being ripped
▶ 5:52:34off that senior citizens are going to be able to get the money that they need and deserve that there that our veterans are going to have the money and uh benefits that they should should have we had someone on the lookout to make sure that we are protected and guess what now no one is working at the Consumer
▶ 5:53:05Financial uh agency why because they were told not to go to work again so nobody is watching out for all the people who read some need some protection and have provided it been been provided it by a wonderful organization that has helped make sure that the money the uh all the e evidence that people
▶ 5:53:35should have has come because we had this agency that was assigned to that to make sure that we're safe and so now we don't have that kind of protection anymore and I would suggest since it has not been made totally official that we need to continue to fight all the way to make sure this this agency is going to be back making
▶ 5:54:05sure that Americans are are not going to get stiffed they're not going to get cheated that our seniors are going to be able to be protected and uh with that I uh I I yield G lady yields Republican recognized gentleman from Florida Mr B rockus Mr chairman I moved to strike the last word oh you recognized Mr chairman I don't believe the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Falls within the committee's jurisdiction and therefore
▶ 5:54:35I do not believe it is appropriate to include this in the oversight plan I'll be happy to discuss this particular issue because we want to protect our seniors most of all uh with with the gentle lady but uh it should not be in this oversight plan be as I said for the purposes I said uh before it is not part of our committee's jurisdiction thank you I y chman y back now recognize the gentleman from New Jersey Mr palone ranking member of the full committee for is
▶ 5:55:05five minutes thank you Mr chairman and I do want to assure Mr bakus that um the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is within our jurisdiction many aspects of what they do directly relates to the Energy and Commerce Committee and I mention that in particular because I wanted to thank Miss schakowski earlier this month the author of project 20125 sent an email to everyone who works at the cfpb headquarters which is
▶ 5:55:35direct across from the White House across from the executive mansion and that email told the the people that worked there not to come into the office and to stop working now for that reason uh myself and Miss Sakowski went down there was a protest a lot of the a lot of the people that worked there you know because they were essentially closed out of their offices they closed the building uh stepped outside and organized a protest against the fact that the building was closed and that
▶ 5:56:05they were told to go home and so we we Jan and I specifically went down there because we were essentially representing the Energy and Commerce Committee and saying that we strongly uh oppose uh the closure and the and the stop work order um and um you know we were also happy because we felt there were so many people there that it was clear that you know whoever was in the Oval Office that day or was in the executive Mansion clearly heard us
▶ 5:56:36because we were screaming very loudly and I have no doubt that they heard our protests now you know I'm not you know everything that Jan said is true and I just want to run through this because it does show you what our jurisdiction uh was and how it encompasses this agency the the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was established in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to put an end to the predatory behaviors that led to the recession and resulted in millions of people losing their homes in the way of mass
▶ 5:57:06foreclosures so it stands up against predatory lenders like payday lenders that exploit Americans and often force them into financial debt it has returned more than $21 billion to American consumers since the agency was established in my home state of New Jersey more than a 100,000 new jerseyans filed a complaint with the cfpb last year consumers save an estimated $5 billion per year thanks to the to the cfpb's Bank overdraft rule which the Trump
▶ 5:57:37Administration could prevent from taking effect the cfpb is working to remove medical debt from millions of Americans credit reports which could be reversed if the Trump Administration gets its way essentially what the Trump Administration is doing here is taking the cop off the beat when it comes to the work that this uh organization does for American consumers it's directly under our consumer uh Affairs our consumer protection committee which as you know
▶ 5:58:07uh Miss schikowski is the ranking member of the subcommittee so without the cfpb banks and Bad actors can return to these practices that destroyed our economy eliminating thousands of jobs ruining people's lives I mean it's it's really outrageous and the reason we need to have this amendment is because we don't know what's going on down there they I don't believe they ever reopened the office my understanding is that they may have some people working at Regional offices they may not
▶ 5:58:37more than anything else that that uh and I'm not trying to take away from the other members today but the fact of the matter is the reason we need this uh hearing and oversight is because I think that more than any other agency that we've discuss today no one knows what's going on down there we don't know whether they're open whether they're closed how many people work there whether they are have you know whether they're able to do anything anymore so this is directly something that should be in our oversight plan
▶ 5:59:08particularly since there's so much secrecy about what the administration is doing with this very important agency I yield back Mr chairman Gman yields back have anyone who wishes recognition on this side go into this side anybody wish to be recognized seeing none we'll move to the vote okay the roll call vote has been requested Mr Menendez oh sorry I did not see you I apologize Mr Menendez of New Jersey thank you and I appreciate my colleague for bringing this amendment
▶ 5:59:38uh up for for discussion and the critical importance that the cfpb has played since the 08 financial crisis to ensure that we are protecting the folks in our districts across the country making sure that those who are predatory lenders are not taking advantage of good Americans and we had a great American who led this Rohit Chopra for so many years a great new jerseyan uh until he was let go by this Administration and the the president has said in the Oval Office that his intention is
▶ 6:00:09to shutter uh this this department so you know we we need to continue to be mindful of how Americans are being impacted by the decisions of this Administration making sure that if we truly are looking as a general matter to have oversight over fraud waste and abuse we had an agency like cfpp cpb that was set up to do this exact thing and we should Ure sure that we do whatever we can to advance this Mission
▶ 6:00:39and push back against the administration's attempt to shutter it with that I y'll back Jan M's back anyone else seeking recognition going going gone seeing none roll call vote has been requested but ask the clerk to call the rooll Mr L Mr L M Mr Griffith no
▶ 6:01:09Mr Griffith votes no Mr bakus no Mr bakus votes no Mr Hudson no Mr Hudson votes no Mr Carter of Georgia
▶ 6:01:41Mr Carter of Georgia votes no Mr Palmer Mr Palmer votes no Mr Dunn Mr dun votes no Mr kensaw Mr sh Mr
▶ 6:02:13Joyce Mr Joyce Mr Weber Mr Weber votes no Mr Allen Mr Allen votes no balderson Mr balderson votes
▶ 6:02:46no Mr fure Mr fure votes no Mr fluger Mr fluger votes no Mrs harshbarger Mrs harburger votes no Mrs Miller
▶ 6:03:18Meeks Mrs Miller Meeks votes no Mrs kamik Mrs kamik votes no Mr oberti oberti Mr
▶ 6:03:48James Mr James Mr B Mr Ben votes no Mrs hin hin Mr Fry Miss Lee Mr
▶ 6:04:20Langworthy Mr Kane Mr rouy Mr ruy votes no Mr Evans Mr Evans votes no Mr Goldman Mr Goldman votes no Mrs fedorek Mrs Fedor votes no Mr palone Mr palone votes I miss deette miss deette votes I Mr jakowski Miss trakowski votes I miss Matsui Miss Matsui votes I miss Caster
▶ 6:04:51Miss Caster votes I Mr tonko Mr tonko votes I miss Clark Mr Ruiz Mr Riz votes I Mr Peters Mr Peters votes I Mrs Dingle Mrs Dingle Mrs Dingle votes I Mr VC Mr VC votes I Miss Kelly Miss Kelly votes I miss beragon miss beragon votes i m Mr SoDo
▶ 6:05:21Mr SoDo votes I miss Sher Miss Sher votes I mran mran votes I miss Fletcher Miss Fletcher votes I miss Osio Cortez Miss Ocasio Cortez votes I Mr aen Mr aen Claus votes I Mr Carter of Louisiana Mr Carter of Louisiana votes I Mendez Mr Menendez Mr Menendez votes I Mullen Mr
▶ 6:05:51lansman Mr lansman votes I miss mclen miss mclen votes I chairman Guthrie chairman Guthrie votes no Mr L is not recorded Mr lot of votes no Mr Joyce is not recorded Mr Joyce no Mr obaly votes no
▶ 6:06:36chairman got three on that vote there were 22 eyes and 23 nose I have an amendment at the desk Mr chair what number of the amendment uh 012 was that um Mr report uh oh could the gentleman from New York please specify his Amendment you
▶ 6:07:06one again once again say your 012 amendment to draft oversight plan oi2 without objection the reading of the amendment is dispensed with and the gentleman from New York is recognized for five minutes and supported the amendment thank you Mr chair uh today the need for scientific Integrity has never been more urgent especially in public health and Environmental Protection for Generations Federal science has driven progress in medicine in climate research and pollution reduction agencies
▶ 6:07:37like the CDC the NIH and EPA rely on Independent research to safeguard public health and ensure environmental safety for that Integrity is under attack the Trump Administration and now Elon Musk and his band of muskrats pose a direct threat to America's scientific leadership they are censoring research scrubbing critical data and undermining career scientists who dedicate their lives to protecting public health and National Security Congress cannot sit idly by while these violations go
▶ 6:08:07unchecked we have a duty to defend our nation's research institutions and provide rigorous oversight this Administration has made its position clear they do not care about scientific Integrity they do not care about saving American lives from the escalating climate crisis they do not care about public health and protecting families from deadly viruses like covid-19 or the emerging bird flu threat the knowledge we carry forward is essential to our survival yet its validity is is being questioned on a scale unprecedented
▶ 6:08:38in modern history now research projects vital to Public Health economic prosperity and National Security are being evaluated not for their scientific Merit but whether they contain words like diversity women or under represented the United States has long been a beacon of research Excellence because we uphold principles that transcend politics but those principles are now under attack in my district alone institutions like Sunni ay aubony Medical College RPI the Wadsworth Center
▶ 6:09:08and aubony molecular are leading groundbreaking biomedic research uh work that relies on consistent support from agencies like the NIH I've heard directly from researchers at these institutions from infectious disease experts to National Security Professionals who are grappling with stalled program reviews Frozen funding and an uncertain future for their critical work these challenges are not abstract they are direct threats to our nation scientific Enterprise and to the progress the security
▶ 6:09:38and the well-being of the American people scientists should be focused on their next breakthrough not scrambling for funding or fighting to defend their right to pursue knowledge free from political interference instead confusion delays and outright fear are gripping our research institutions we cannot allow political ideology to dictate which discoveries are pursued and which are suppressed we cannot allow critical research on climate change public health or national security to be derailed by shortsighted political mandates
▶ 6:10:09and we cannot allow the United States to fall behind while our competitors capitalize on our self-inflicted setbacks the next great discovery the next cure the next technological revolution could come from any lab any researcher any corner of this country but only if if we let science be science I urge my colleagues to support this amendment to uphold scientific integrity and ensure that facts not politics shape our future and with that Mr chair I yield back the gentleman yields back
▶ 6:10:39what purpose of the gentleman from West Virginia SEC speaking in opposition to the amendment Mr gent is recognized thank you Mr chairman this amendment is woefully unnecessary as the oversight plan contains oversight of the federal agencies within the committee's jurisdictions that are responsible for public health Environmental Protection energy security technology and consumer protection it is already an expectation of scientific Integrity existing Within These agencies and the oversight conducted by this committee as outlined in this oversight plan is
▶ 6:11:09sufficient to ensure this furthermore there is no factual basis to claim that there is political interference at this time stopping scientists and researchers in federal agencies or granty institutions from conducting their important work the amendment is unnecessary and some of the predicate for it lacks a factual basis and I urge my colleagues to vote no on the amendment now you may have noticed that I emphasized at this time because I I got to tell you Mr chairman I was uh flabbergasted at the fact that in the
▶ 6:11:39last Administration it did appear it did appear that there was political chicanery going on with some of our scientific institutions now I'm not saying the president knew about it but the administration either knew or should have known what was going on I mean all I got to do is tell you I spent a lot of time investigating with the oversight investigation subcommittee the workings at the NIH in relationship to their lack of oversight and their perhaps actual meddling in determining the origins of the covid-19
▶ 6:12:10virus and that continued it started in one Administration and in the Republican Administration and continued over into the Biden Administration so I feel very strongly that we will do this whether we adopt this amendment or not because that's within the jurisdiction and I'm going to point out something now Mr chairman that that has vexed me all day and that is that we keep doing these uh amendments to specific points
▶ 6:12:40of concern for individual members that's not the purpose of an oversight General plan what you've drawn up Mr chairman is very similar to what we've done in the past and it's it's saying that that we're going to look into these areas we're going to take care of these areas and here's the problem I think from a legalistic standpoint and yeah I'm a recovering attorney and so maybe this is I'm the only one in the room that's feeling this way if if you cite a out of an alphabet of 26 letters
▶ 6:13:10in a specific vote and you say this is what we're going to do you are in implying that the other 25 letters don't matter there is no way we're going to get to everything today or tomorrow we could spend six weeks in this room going over every little thing that this committee might want to investigate and arguing about whether or not that should be on the list if that's where we want to go then we can forget getting any work done because we'll spend the next month and a half working on exactly
▶ 6:13:41what each subcommittee is going to research and and look into and have oversight over will the G yield I'm not going to yield I'm on a I'm on a rant and I want to finish it and it just bothers me that we're wasting a lot of time that we could be working on other things getting ourselves prepared for the hearings we got hearings tomorrow we got hearings coming up next week we could be getting prepared for that to do the very things that some of the on the other side they all want us to do and taking a look at it and I'm surprised because I'm looking at all the environment and I've
▶ 6:14:11got I've got two more to read I haven't seen anything on Nic neonicotinoids well I'm concerned about that maybe I should be doing an amendment because we need to talk about every single thing tonight instead of moving forward getting our work done with a very good solid product which is our plan that the chairman has put together so now that I finished my rant I will yield back gentleman yields back the chair recognizes the ranking member for five minutes for the amendment I don't mind your being on your rant
▶ 6:14:42but I I just want to say this and I'll be um it wouldn't be necessary to do these amendments if there was some reasonable there was some reason to believe that the majority uh was willing to stand up uh and do any real investigation whether it be by hearing or by letter or by subpoena or whatever of what's happening with the chaos of the Trump
▶ 6:15:12Administration in Elon Musk you know if You' noticed over and over again members on the Democratic side have said you guys have been silent and many times you've admitted that you've been silent on a lot of these issues so really that's the problem here you have an oversight plan that's almost exactly what it was two years ago two years ago uh is a to toally different situation in the last month we've seen cross theboard Cuts firing of thousands of people
▶ 6:15:43I just mentioned the Consumer Finance Agency which literally the door was closed and everybody was sent home I mean none of these things make any sense from a rational point of view and I'm not saying that the president doesn't know what he's doing but sometimes I do wonder and I certainly don't think that musk knows what he's doing and all we're asking is that there be some indication somewhere by somebody on the Republican side that um you understand that all
▶ 6:16:13these uh firings and freezes and half of them have been turned around in the courts but even then you know I have to tell you uh I in my home state of New Jersey uh because uh Jen mlen mentioned this uh you know they they had if when the freeze was on they were told uh you know the portal was closed for my community health centers to get paid under for Medicaid or anything right next day the freeze is lifted by the courts but some of them are still
▶ 6:16:43not able to get the funding because the Portal's closed now some you say oh that's because the Portal's broken well I don't believe that they're definitely getting around a lot of these things even when the courts have ordered them to do the right thing so we're just asking we have we have no reason to believe that of you know whether it's uh whether it's a cuts to nursing home and freeze or it's Consumer Finance age or whatever it is that any any hearings ever going to be held or any letters going to be ever going to
▶ 6:17:13be S saying Doge musk what are you doing are you going to continue with this chaos cross theboard cuts that have no rationale we've sent letters to these various agencies and to musk and the president they don't respond to us in any way they don't give any reason oh waste for Fraud and Abuse that's all they keep saying over and over again will will show us where the waste Fraud and Abuse is they don't respond anything so you you have to understand and I you know you have to understand
▶ 6:17:44that um the reason that we're going through this list is because you have an oversight plan that doesn't seem to recognize in any way what's been going on the last month with this Administration and it's unprecedented now some of you may say oh well that's great you know uh you know they're wrecking everything and changing everything and you know everybody stinks in the federal government so let's just get rid of them all but I mean I you're not going to say that because you don't believe that but all we're saying is give us
▶ 6:18:14some indication here that you're going to address some of this behavior that seems to us to make no sense whatsoever and it's killing the economy you can't keep freezing all the funding having tariffs uh firing everybody creating all this chaos you know the the the stock market not the I'm I'm not going to favor the stock market but the market goes up and down every day there's all this instability out there that I think is going to lead to an economic
▶ 6:18:44downturn and so we're just saying with this oversight plan you know we've got to address these issues we've got to bring them to your attention we're not getting any response at all so that's it I I don't know what else to tell you I I yeld back Mr chairman ranking member yields back anyone seeking recognition G lady from Washington recognized for five minutes uh thank you Mr chairman well I moved
▶ 6:19:14to straight the last word and thank you Mr chairman I want to support this amendment the idea has been tossed around by my Republican colleagues that there's no need for this amendment to make sure that we protect scientific Integrity you better believe there's a need I mean look at what we have seen over the past several years we've seen uh anti-mask information we've just seen a confirmation of vaccine denier and skeptic
▶ 6:19:45RFK uh Jr put in charge of Health and Human Services he's also questioning FDA decisions and just pulling ideas out of his pocket and throwing them out there even though he's in charge of uh Health and Human Services we've seen firings at the NIH cutting funding to the NIH attacks on universities as being elitist even though that is where our scientists the best in the world are trained uh we're even seeing cuts to the Department of Education where do
▶ 6:20:15you think your kid our kids are going to get uh educated in terms of science and it feels like this like a purposeful attempt to dumb down our population by attacking science undermining science misinterpreting studies throwing conspiracy theories out there and so I just want to emphasize that we do need this amendment that is is important that there seems to be an attack on science and a
▶ 6:20:46misunderstanding of Science and definitely a politization of science especially when you see um sentiment aligning very much along partisans uh uh lines and so uh I'd like to encourage my colleagues to support this very necessary unfortunately very necessary uh Amendment thank you I yiel back G lady yields back Mr oti from California you're recognized for five minutes uh thank you very much Mr chairman
▶ 6:21:16and I have to admit a little bit of frustration here um scientific Integrity is something that I deeply value uh I've served on the science base and Technology the last four years it's something we always strive for we don't want research to be tainted by political interference I don't think anybody does on either side of the aisle one of the the things that I like best about serving on SST is that we are largely a bipartisan committee and we work on things that are mutually important to everybody on the dis and it's very seldom that we have
▶ 6:21:46a partisanism uh rise uh to to the level where it's actually interrupting the committee business and I've really enjoyed serving on science on Energy and Commerce and I felt the same way about this committee until just recently and uh so it's it's frustrating to be having this discussion and I just I want to remind people because I have a feeling that people think the sky is falling here and uh you know we we have been here before and we're going to get through it uh in terms of uh the the cuts that have been made recently
▶ 6:22:16let me remind everyone that the last time we had a balanced budget was under a Democratic president and a republican Congress was under President Clinton and when he first came into office his first week in office he issued an ex executive order that said he was going to cut 4% of the federal Workforce and he did it he did more than that he cut 100 of thousands of federal workers it was very controversial and and people didn't like it but folks that's what was required to balance the federal budget and we have had presidents in the past who pushed the limits of constitutional law
▶ 6:22:46in fact the most recent one we had was Barack Obama who got frustrated with the fact that Congress wasn't doing what he wanted them to do and he said literally so sue me those were his exact words and people did and the courts did what the courts are supposed to do and sorted out what was legal and what was extra legal and and and brought the the administration to to heal and we're seeing that play out in the courts right now so we will get through this but folks I'm concerned that we are losing our ability to have a civil discussion with each other
▶ 6:23:17you know I I I really value the opinions of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle I think we're here for the same reasons I think we all play for not team Republican or team Democrat but team United States and uh you know it really hurts my heart to see this kind of partisanism because I remember I remind you this is is what should have been a procedural vote to approve our oversight plan that's it and it was largely the plan as it has been under both Republican and Democrat control for years here in this committee so the fact that we have all
▶ 6:23:47chosen to spend our time here all day on this procedural vote not accomplishing the business the important business that this committee has to accomplish you know I think is really nonsensical so I I hope that we can at the end of the day here remember that we're supposed to play for the same team so I apologize for uh I guess my rant but you know it's it's it's really been painful to watch I yield back Mr chairman the geman from California yields back the chair recogniz the gentleman from Ohio and thank you Mr chair
▶ 6:24:17um I I just want to respond because I this is the the the the vote the last time we had a Balan budget um was 1993 the the budget was the 1993 Omnibus budget Bill and it was President Clinton he just got elected and instead of ransacking the federal government getting one of his donors to uh take a chainsaw to the the federal bureaucracy
▶ 6:24:47indiscriminately laying off employees accessing public data breaching the treasury payment system he went to the United States Congress and it was a democratic Congress they lost in 1994 but it was a democratic Congress so the last time we had a balanced budget it was a Democratic president and a democratic Congress that passed a budget Bill and so instead of
▶ 6:25:18doing all the crazy things that have happened over the last five or weeks truly problematic uh Behavior he went and did the hard work by negotiating with the United States Congress which is what you're supposed to do that budget LED not only to a balance budget but to several surpluses and the largest economic expansion in American history
▶ 6:25:49why doesn't the president do that why doesn't the president come to the United States Congress and work with us to pass a budget that doesn't increase our deficit that doesn't cut nearly a trillion dollars in health care from people and if there's waste fraud and ab abuse bring it to the United States Congress that's not what they're doing and the reason why we're here offering these amendments is because people are
▶ 6:26:19frustrated and angry scared and they are looking at a republican controlled Congress doing absolutely nothing to stop the Mayhem that's going on and the show of good faith could have been just support the Amendments these are pretty simple amendments that say we are going to start asking questions we are going to push and prod and and hold accountable but that's not what we're
▶ 6:26:50so I I wanted to be on this committee for the same reasons that you talked about which is this bipartisan problem solving aspect of this committee we are living in a different moment and the sooner that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle get that and stand up to at musk then we can go back to something resembling normaly but until then this is going to be problematic because we have to do something
▶ 6:27:21with that I yield back gentleman yelds back is anyone from Republican side see you none gentleman from New Jersey is recognized for five minutes thank you chairman I appreciate my colleague Congressman tono for introducing this amendment and we across the aisle that our that our Republican colleagues keep saying we've been here before right that this is just a procedural uh Committee hearing with regard to what we've done in the past but if you don't realize we're in very different times right now then I don't know what to tell you
▶ 6:27:51and you're clearly not talking to your constituents we have a secretary of HHS who openly engages in public health conspiracy theories the second most important scientific mind in the administration or outside the administration is Joe Rogan right like these are not normal times and for you all to sit there and pretend like it is and this should just be a procedural day you're missing the moment we really need to ensure scientific Integrity throughout our departments and agencies because that is what this moment
▶ 6:28:21calls for we need to protect scientific integrity at federal agencies are responsible for our public health because the president is entrusting people who have worms in their head right that is not a way that we should be going that is not someone that we should trust and if that who the president chooses to trust then we need to pres ensure that we uh do our oversight obligation here to ensure that all of our departments all of our agencies can engage in their business uh with with the utmost scientific integrity and with
▶ 6:28:51that I yeld back the gentleman Ys back any Dr Joyce is recognized for five minutes gentleman from Pennsylvania is recognized for five minutes thank you Mr chairman I moved to strike the last word for years Democrats sat silently as quote that science was weaponized against Americans so many of us in this room are trained in science but it should have never been used as a weapon we were told
▶ 6:29:21that a vaccine would prevent individuals from Ever Getting covid we were sold a bill of goods Dr fouchy and Dr C Collins then both government employees orchestrated a brutal takedown of theory a theory that I'll note is widely accepted as likely that the covid-19 pandemic originated from a lab leak in China
▶ 6:29:51subsequently a congressional investigation into this topic turned up documents of NIH employees discussing laughing about stonewalling and obstructing this very committee this investigation also uncovered efforts to delete government records remember the foyer lady this committee has fought for years to restore accountability in our agencies
▶ 6:30:21this is not a time that we would ever want to turn a blind eye and yet a blind eye was turned so let's spare the crocodile tears let's talk about what truly is Integrity this oversight plan as written already provides us the broad discretion to conduct oversight into our health agency and this amendment is unnecessary thank you Mr chairman and I yield
▶ 6:30:52gentlem Mr Jo can I can I will you yield for a minute would gentleman yield to the lady from California I I just have a quick question and and this is a genuine question do you believe that the co vacc had any benefit to it benefit I feel that the information that was presented to us fractured the trust that my patients have in government because we were told that the covid vaccine allowed individuals not to get covid and so
▶ 6:31:22many of us locked into that and it was a mistruth it was not what we saw because individuals who did get the covid vaccine went on to develop covid and that fractured the doctor patient relationship and that fractured the ability for us who serve on Energy and Commerce to take back to our district do you think that it saved any lives or Noor I'm just curious do you think it saved any lives because I know you got the jab do you think it saved any lives I think that a
▶ 6:31:52mandate for any vaccine that's not what I'm asking I feel that any mandate for any vaccine is unnecessary I think that's a a decision that should be made between the patient and the doctor with truths from science and if you don't have that truth from science a lot this is my time I'm reclaiming my time if you don't have that truth in science if you don't have that ability to know that what is coming out of the NIH is true then you don't provide Physicians the ability to give that
▶ 6:32:22information to their patients and as I travel into my district which I do all the time every weekend in every District work period I've heard from constituents that they don't trust that they don't trust the nihh and we now have adequate oversight to again to do the necessary intelligent investigations in our health agency and this specific amendment is unnecessary thank you Mr chairman and I yield Jim andel's
▶ 6:32:53back anyone on the oh that's right we just did Republican so M Bon you want M the gentle lady from California is recognized for five minutes yeah I I'm I wasn't going to speak but I just expand on on the conversation because you know the the comment that was made was was almost insinuate that the vaccine was this terrible thing when in reality it saved lives now whether it prevented people from getting covid again um is an argument we could have but
▶ 6:33:23it did save lives and God knows it's much better than the advice the president gave was to go inject bleach into yourself so you talk about the trust and the mistrust excuse me you got the president who is supposed to be a leader who's a you know clown asking people telling people to inject bleach putting people into Harm's Way I will strike the clown comment we
▶ 6:33:53know we know we've seen the memes okay we we don't even have to say it the fact that nobody calls it out the fact that that that people don't recognize the circus that we're in they don't want to admit it in the room it's pretty hilarious it's pretty comical and I will also say that my colleagues across the aisle have called the former president worse things that's right okay so all of a sudden
▶ 6:34:24all of a sudden you got theorum oh my gosh clown you you've seen the light but you know this is really hypocritical because you you come in here and you want to go attack the covid vaccine when it saved lives and and you yourself got it too by the way nobody's suggesting that it's not a decision they doctor could make with their patients for God's sakes we talk about that with women's right to choose and you won't see it the same way when it comes to that so with that said um I'm going to yield time to my colleague Mr Ruiz
▶ 6:34:54yeah I I think what we just witnessed here is a clear example of how uh the manufacturing of distrust happens uh where you have a physician who talks about something erroneously that occurred takes it out of comple out of context misrepresents those words and then determines it as facts and goes around the constituents and to the American people and and Distilling that misinformation as fact
▶ 6:35:24so for example at that time and I know what you're referring to when Mr when President Biden said that if you get it you won't get sick at that time the studies showed that it was very protective against covid-19 that virus evolved and changed now you know I know as Physicians that a vaccine helps boost your immune response to a virus and that
▶ 6:35:55once you reach a threshold of that viral load into a body you become symptomatic and for some very symptomatic in the ICU and some people die you also know that if you boost your immune system enough then you will prevent from getting sick you will not get symptoms you will defeat the virus that's in your body before it manifest as a symptom and yes you it will prevent in some
▶ 6:36:25cases getting sick but the point of the vaccine and it still is is to help you not die to help you not go to the ICU and for many to help prevent getting sick period now that is The Logical reasonable explanation that you and others can clearly give to the public but instead you focus on this misinterpretation with false under the false premise and the context of what was said at that one
▶ 6:36:55time but you are hoping and it has been explained over and over again but they refuse to acknowledge that and go back and focus on the words that were being said so as a physician I want to clear the record and say that this vaccine helps you and some people prevents them from getting sick period and for many people who get sick even though they're on the vaccine prevents them from
▶ 6:37:25having been more sick or even dying period the vaccine is the reason why we're here without wearing masks asks that's the reason but when you continue to sew doubt then you're manufacturing distrust into our Public Health leaders and the best tools that we have to protect the Public's health and that's dangerous that is sowing mistrust into our agencies and
▶ 6:37:56our scientists I yield back to uh representative Bagan I'll you back the G lady back chair wants to emphasize the gentle lady struck her words and just toown the clown right there were a clown that's what I mean that's that's what I mean and so I can't so we appreciate you striking your words I just want to remind the committee of the decorum that we have to that we need to abide by in the committee rules so the chair will now recognize gentleman from North Carolina
▶ 6:38:26thank you Mr chair I'd like to yield to my colleague from Virginia Mr Griffith yeah I told y'all this might take us six weeks at this rate but but here's here the problem we have and that that that the good doctor was touching on it's a slightly different point but we were told and in fact our federal government spent millions of dollars and this committee investigated it without a specific requirement to do so this committee investigated it and what we found was they spent millions of dollars telling people that if you got the jab it would stop
▶ 6:38:56the spread you advertisements to our young people and others that you can go back to school if you get the shot advertisements that you can suddenly go back to parties if you get the shot none of that had any scientific basis in it at the time there is and there there wasn't any evidence then there isn't any evidence now that it stops the spread and they suddenly discovered that without make they made the claim without scientific basis and then discovered it when there was a big party somewhere in New England I want to say it was New York but I might be mistaken it's been a while since I read the
▶ 6:39:26report that our committee and our committee staff came up with but the bottom line was we need scientific Integrity we don't need an amendment to tell us to do it we did it with in the last term without a specific amendment to say let's have scientific scrutiny we got stonewalled by the past administration I hope that you all can get your documents may not be exactly when you want them but we never got a lot of the documents that we wanted when we were asking for it trying to do exactly what this amendment says it wants us to do we already have
▶ 6:39:56authority to do that in this broad statement of what we're trying to do it's a good statement and we need to quit going into the little nuances and saying well you can't do it if we oh you might not do it we've done it in the past and we'll do it again I don't care who the administration is if they're spreading things that are not scientifically accurate we need to put a stop to it because we want scientific accuracy but don't come in here and say we're misleading people that's the facts it never stopped the spread and
▶ 6:40:26there was never any evidence it would stop the spread but the past administration spent millions of taxpayer dollars telling people you got to get the shot cuz it's going to stop the spread and you can go back to having parties and it wasn't ever true and people got sick because of it because they went to parties thinking they'd had the shot and they were safe from getting the disease and I think that's the point that the good gentleman from Pennsylvania previously was trying to make and I yield back I yield back gentleman yields back is anyone the
▶ 6:40:56gentleman from Florida Mr Soo you recognized for five minutes thank you chairman and I appreciate this amazing debate you know uh I was reading a headline today that I never thought I'd see in 2025 Texas measles outbreak here's why it's not going away anytime soon it's also affecting New Mexico 12 124 kids getting a disease that hasn't really affected folks for quite a while mostly
▶ 6:41:27unvaccinated uh and when we're talking about vaccines like the covid vaccine I think the key thing to understand understand is that it was supposed to prevent substantial injury and death and that's what it did right it didn't stop it in its uh tracks but when we think about the death rates between those who got the vaccine and who didn't they're vastly different and long covid is predominantly among folks who didn't get the vaccine uh I'm going to need a little help here Dr Rua
▶ 6:41:58you know what are some of the symptoms of measles and do you think that would be worse than getting the vaccine what what's really at risk for these kids in Across America who because of political gain because people are questioning science at every aspect what what are the consequences for measles thanks uh representative sto uh for the opportunity but first let me let let me say that the standard
▶ 6:42:29of public health professionals and Physicians will say that the covid-19 vaccines helps reduce the spread of covid-19 no vaccine is 100% And this is again the manufacturing of distrust saying that they said it was 100% it's not 100% but the big picture here is that yes indeed it reduced the spread of covid-19 uh measles uh as we're seeing the population
▶ 6:43:00that are not vaccinated uh have a higher rate of getting sick with the illness than those who are vaccinated uh in getting the side effects the symptoms could include these small red spots with blue white Centers inside the mouth um horseness uh swollen lify nodes diarrhea vomiting and abdominal pain can last 7 to 14 days it starts for 7 to 14 days after exposure uh and the fever and rash
▶ 6:43:30uh slowly go away after a few days now the seriousness of this the diarrhea could lead to dehydration uh it could lead to a brain infection inflammation infection that causes brain swelling and potential brain damage and severe breathing problems including pneumonia thank you Dr Ru and and I also want to talk to Dr shrier uh did you see a lot of meil cases over the last couple years before an attack on science yeah it's really interesting in the year 2000
▶ 6:44:00uh measles was declared eradicated from the United States and then in about 2019 we had really big outbreaks and I put this um really at at the feet of RFK Jr and people like him for spreading uh doubt sewing doubt there have been meta studies showing its safety and let me just tell you I've seen one child um with measles and it it at the time this was around the year 2001 it took a um 75y old doctor to diagnose
▶ 6:44:31it because none of us really saw it so um just keep in mind 20% of kids end up in the hospital and um many get brain swelling and die from this incredibly contagious disease these are the types of deaths that shouldn't be happening right now in the United States and the types of conditions that shouldn't be happening anymore in the United States yet it's happening because there's political gain to be made when you attack science which is so hard to do to to get a vaccine
▶ 6:45:01together to get something that works and it's very easy to attack it for political gain because people are afraid but what have we seen over many years a lot of these conditions have been reduced or or ended and now we're seeing them come back and this is a consequence of the lack of the the attacks on scientific Integrity that we need to protect here today and yield back gentleman yields back is there anyone on the Republican side any more on the Democrat side seeing none seeing no further
▶ 6:45:32discussion uh the vote occurs on the amendment uh the gentleman from New Jersey has requested a roll call recorded vote and the clerk will call row Mr L no Mr L votes no Mr no Mr Griffith votes no Mr bakus no Mr bakus votes no Mr Hudson no
▶ 6:46:03Mr Hudson votes no Mr Carter of Georgia Mr Carter of Georgia votes no Mr Palmer Mr Palmer votes no Mr Dunn Mr dun votes no Mr Crenshaw Mr Joyce Mr Joyce votes no bad Mr Weber Mr Weber votes no Mr Allen Mr Allen
▶ 6:46:33votes no Mr balderson Mr balderson votes no Mr fure Mr fure votes no Mr fluger Mr fluger votes no Mrs harburger Mrs harburger votes no Mrs Miller Meeks Mrs Miller Meeks votes no Mrs kamik Mrs kamik votes no Mr oberti Mr James Mr B Mr B votes
▶ 6:47:03no Mrs hin Mr Fry Mr Fry M Lee M Lee Mr Langworthy Mr Langworthy Mr Kane Mr Kane
▶ 6:47:38rouy Mr ruy votes no Mr Evans Mr Evans votes no Mr Goldman Mr Goldman votes no Mrs fedorek Mrs fedorek votes no Mr palone Mr palone votes I miss deette miss deette votes i m schakowski Miss schakowski votes I miss Matsui Miss Matsui votes I
▶ 6:48:08miss Caster Miss Caster votes I Mr tonco Mr tonko votes I miss Clark Miss Clark votes I Mr Ruiz Mr Ruiz votes I Mr Peters Mr Peters votes I Mrs Dingle Mrs Dingle votes I Mr VY Mr VY votes I Miss Kelly Miss Kelly votes I miss Bagon Miss Bagon votes I Mr soda Mr SoDo votes I miss Sher Miss Sher votes I miss Trahan
▶ 6:48:38Miss Tran votes I miss Fletcher Miss Fletcher votes I miss Osio Cortez Miss Osio Cortez votes I Mr aen Claus Mr aen Claus votes I Mr Carter of Louisiana Mr Carter of Louisiana votes I Mr Mendez Mr Mendez votes I Mr Mullen Mr lansman Mr lansman votes I miss m M Miss mclen votes I chairman Guthrie chairman Guthrie votes
▶ 6:49:10no Mr obber not votes no is anyone seeking to ENT the row seeing none the clerk will report
▶ 6:49:44chairman Guthrie on that vote there were 23 eyes and 23 nose the amendment is not agreed to are there further amendments gentleman from New Jersey what purpose do you seek recognition 23 23 to offer an amendment 12 the clerk report amendment to draft oversight Plan cat 12 without objection the reading of the amendment
▶ 6:50:14is dispensed with and the gentleman from New Jersey is recognized for five minutes and supported the amendment thank you chairman my Amendment would require this committee to conduct oversight of conflicts of interests that involve a government or quasi government official that has an ownership interest in FCC lensey I want to be clear the situation with Elon Musk is completely unprecedented through his role as a special government employee leading Trump's Crusade against the federal government musk has the authority to oversee
▶ 6:50:45government agencies that are supposed to be regulating his businesses and influence FCC decisions that directly impact the profitability of the companies he runs to the detriment of the American people starlink a subsidiary of SpaceX has applied for various contracts and licens through the FCC it previously applied for almost $900 million through the rural digital opportunity fund and November the FCC approved SpaceX request to deploy mobile signal connectivity
▶ 6:51:15from space it doesn't stop with the FCC must companies routinely engage with the federal government on defense contracts energy policies and other matters SpaceX and starlinks have received approximately $1.7 billion from NASA $1.3 billion from the Air Force and $199 million from the defense Information Systems agency over 3.3 billion dollars in just the past 12 months prior to 2019
▶ 6:51:45Tesla benefited from a clean vehicle tax credit that musk is now calling for an end2 which will reduce competition for his own company most recently starlink was awarded a contract to upgrade Information Systems used to manage our airspace that's not going well and as companies are not passive participants in government processes X formerly known as Twitter has faced SEC litigation and SpaceX is suing an independent government agency the American taxpayers
▶ 6:52:16those who are funding these Investments deserve Clarity on where their money is going and who is benefiting so when it comes to must conflicts of interest related to the FCC this committee has a duty to conduct oversight on behalf of the American people I urge my colle colleages to support this incredible Amendment and I yield back the gentem yelds back the gentleman from North Carolina you're recognized for five minutes thank you Mr chairman
▶ 6:52:46I thank my colleague for his interest in public Integrity um the plan though already includes oversight over the FCC we also maintain jurisdiction over Spectrum management as well as Wireless a wi line and Wireless Communications all Commissioners and public off officials are responsible for upholding the Constitution and following all appropriate laws any instances of violation of the law will be subject to our committee's oversight as well as any appropriate legal remedies this amendment is unnecessary
▶ 6:53:16and I urge my colleagues to oppose it with that I yel back gentleman yells back is anyone on the Democrat side any on the Republican side seeking recognition I'll recognize my I'll recognize myself um I appreciate the opportunity for everybody to be here and we're we're talking about the issue before us today and and we've had several people talk about is Doge lawful is is Elon must properly appointed to be where he
▶ 6:53:46is the Doge comes from the US digital Group which was founded an executive order by President Obama if you remember right after the roll out of of the Affordable Care Act they had the marketplace the do health go and the health.gov was not successful when it first came out so they put in a a executive order to create a group code the US digital group that brought tech people into the Department of Health and Human Services I don't know how
▶ 6:54:17they were lawfully appointed or whatever but they came in and had obviously access to to data to get health.gov running and so they got health.gov running and they were able to accomplish things and so the administration decided to keep them permanent and send them out into other different agencies to make sure that technology as technology was spreading and and being as iPhones were kind of new back then the other things are new at that time so when President Trump came back into office it is the US digital
▶ 6:54:47that has remained on the executive order they did rechange the name to the Department of government efficiency and and and so that is the legal status that the Doge operates from it operates it goes from the line from the from the Obama Administration to a straight line all the way to uh with with the changing of the name is but that's that's where it's moved for so uh the the the rename usds relies upon the same Authority that the Digital
▶ 6:55:17Services had in the Obama the Trump 45 and the Biden Administration so I want to make sure that is on the record is anyone Time Dr Joyce well let me re I'll yield back and then I'll do anyone on the Democrat side G lady from New York thank you I I I appreciate um the recounting of the fact that the US digital service is the original uh purpose of
▶ 6:55:47this agency this is to help agencies with their websites that's that's what the US digital service does it helps agencies with their public facing websites the actual renaming of this gives the whole game away the renaming of a digital service to quote unquote government efficiency really tells the whole story of what is going on here the United States digital service has never in its history
▶ 6:56:18been a participant in one of the largest data breaches in American history the US digital service has never been responsible for firing the the Park Service officials and mass and then scrambling to to reverse it the United States digital service has never compromised the the security of our nuclear Supply so I do want to know where the authority is because there was
▶ 6:56:48never any standing Authority for the United States service to be raing every sensitive government official did they have access to some system sure maybe I don't know a Squarespace not the nuclear supply of the United States of America and so I don't think that answers the core question here of what the legal standing is
▶ 6:57:19um and where this Authority comes from to take from president Trump to to be honest and with that I would like to yield uh to the general lady uh from Texas uh to to finish her point uh thank you so much to my colleague from New York uh Mr chairman I just have an article from the Associated Press actually this article is from Politico that I would like to submit for the record happy to give it to you um to look at but I hope that everyone on this committee knows that the career employees at the United
▶ 6:57:49States digital service more than 20 of them resigned uh on Tuesday uh that's today they resigned and they said that they were refusing to use their technical expertise to quote dismantle critical Public Services quote we swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations the 21 staffers wrote in a joint resignation letter copy of which was obtained by the Associated Press however it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments I think it's important for everyone on this
▶ 6:58:19committee to know and understand that the people who were working in that agency prior to president trump reassigning it to Elon Musk have resigned on mass today thank you and I yield back so thank you and I'd uh I you back to the chair so the the consent is without objection so ordered and entered into the record so the chair will now recognize the gentle lady from Florida thank you Mr chairman and thank you to all my colleagues for all of your patience it has been a long day
▶ 6:58:50but in talking about the authorities um under which Doge has been created I thought it would be fun to just do it a little history lesson you know and I know we have a literacy crisis in this country so I'm just going to read this out out loud because I'm afraid that people might not read it so I dug back into the National Archives pulled up that President Obama executive order which was executive order 13576
▶ 6:59:21delivering an efficient effective and accountable government by The Authority invested in me as president by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America and in order to cut waste streamline government operations and reinforce the performance and management reform gains my Administration has achieved it is hereby ordered as follows now I'm not going to read the whole thing but you can absolutely Google this and you will find that the absolute premise
▶ 6:59:51of President Obama's executive order is in fact what Doge has done and if you look at the US code that President Trump has exited and I'll give it to you it's us code 3161 under Title 5 he has absolute presidential Authority for hiring now you would remember going back that President Obama actually when the healthcare.gov Affordable Care Act AKA Obamacare
▶ 7:00:22website crashed in a horrific just dumpster fire roll out they had to bring in private sector techies and I don't recall anyone on the Democrat side of the aisle Raising Cane about 1920 and 21-year-old programmers showing up and fixing all of these inefficiencies and I will also address this so-called data breach these individuals have been hired well under the authority
▶ 7:00:52of President Trump to act in an official capacity to streamline and execute the agenda of this this agency of Doge I don't see anything on the other side of the aisle addressing the 443 Federal data breaches that occurred under President Biden's tenure where were you then nowhere to be clearly I find it exceptionally hypocritical that we're talking about
▶ 7:01:22so-called oversight today when for the last four years The Silence has been deafening it is absolutely incredible that you guys are attacking the very same executive order that President Obama stood up but heaven forbid that we are actually taking stock of the taxpayers money using it efficiently identifying areas of waste Fraud and Abuse but you want to fight it every step of the way
▶ 7:01:53so I would like to enter into the record executive order 13576 dated June 13th 2011 which was President Obama's executive order so that without objection thank you Mr chair I just think it's important that we clear the air and recognize that this is all political theater from our friends on the other side of the aisle it's time that we actually get work done for the American taxpayers they are sick and tired of the waste Fraud and
▶ 7:02:23Abuse they're sick and tired of the theatrics we've been sitting here for hours and not a single thing has been a accomplished because of the obstruction of our friends on the other side of the aisle so with that I yield Mr chairman General lady yields back there any general lady from California recognized for five minutes I'm not going to apologize to the American people for wanting to be here in my committee and doing the job that this my constituents elected me to do
▶ 7:02:53some people are clearly this is a long time for them to be in committee and it's too hard to be here and they want to go somewhere else but I was elected to be here to fight for the American people against the Betrayal by the Republicans by the Republicans against the American people for the Betrayal on cutting access to health care and Medicare Medicaid now you just heard this whole smok and mirrors about Dodge and this executive order by a another
▶ 7:03:23president but those folks were not coming in with a chainsaw and a sledgehammer and just firing all these people indiscriminately they were hired to look at websites they were not then given access to the American people's Privacy Information their bank account numbers their home addresses their birthdays their social security numbers they didn't go do that but my Republican colleagues thinks that's perfectly fine as a matter of fact house Democrats
▶ 7:03:53came up with the bill after that to say let's provide protection for the American people let's let put a bill and pass a bill we just need three Republicans to join us to provide protections on privacy for the American people but you know what it didn't happen you know why they're all so deadly afraid of the president don't be mistaken that's part of what's going on here so
▶ 7:04:24spare me the speeches about hypocrisy and please recognize that what is happening here today is that Democrats believe there should be specifics in the oversight plan in response to what is happening in this country right now our Republican colleagues don't want to talk about it why because they don't want to even comment about the thousands of federal
▶ 7:04:54workers some are even in their districts that are being just cut let go fired disrespected working on critical information like making sure there's prevention to things like diabetes so I will be here as long as is necessary I don't have a schedule where I need to go somewhere else because the American people elected me to be here if a member of Congress doesn't want to be here they can leave they can leave and they don't need to
▶ 7:05:24vote but this is my job and this is what I will do and I will remind the American people that Within the next hour We're supposed to go vote on a budget and my colleagues across the aisle will vote just watch it will vote to take Health Care away from the most needy people and cut Medicaid i y back gent lady Yi lady yield I'll yield to my colleague Mr Menendez uh thank you to my colleague Congressman Baragon I just want to if we're going
▶ 7:05:54to do history lessons the one quick one especially before this vote is that President Obama worked tiously with house Democrats to expand Health Care in this country through the Affordable Care Act and tonight Republicans will have the opportunity to make a decision whether they want to strip healthc care away from children from pregnant women and from our seniors if they're going to look to cut Medicaid so as we go into this evening's vote an important history reminder that Democrats seek to expand Healthcare while Republicans
▶ 7:06:24try to strip it away from Americans thank you and I yield back does a gentle lady yield back the Gent lady yields is there any additional discussion on the on the amendment is there's no further discussion the vote will occur on the amendment the ranking member has asked for a roll call vote I will ask the clerk to call the
▶ 7:06:57rooll Mr L no Mr L votes no Mr Griffith Mr Griffith votes no Slow Down slow down Mr no Mr
▶ 7:07:27bakus votes no Mr Hudson no Mr Hudson votes no Mr Carter of Georgia no Mr of Carter of Georgia votes no Mr Palmer Mr Palmer votes no Mr
▶ 7:08:00dun m Mr Dunn votes no Mr krenshaw Mr krenshaw Mr no Mr Joyce votes no Mr Weber
▶ 7:08:31Mr Weber votes no Mr Allen Mr Allen votes no Mr balderson Mr balderson votes no Mr fure Mr fure votes no
▶ 7:09:05fluger Mr fluger votes no Mrs harsh Barger Mrs harburger votes no Mrs Miller Meeks Mrs Miller Meeks
▶ 7:09:42kamik Mrs kamik votes no Mr oberti Mr oberti Mr James Mr Ben Mr Ben votes no Mrs hin Mrs
▶ 7:10:13howchin Mr Fry Mr Fry M Lee Miss Lee Mr Langworthy Langworthy Mr Kane Mr
▶ 7:10:44Kane Mr rouy Mr ruy votes no Mr Evans Mr Evans votes no Mr Goldman Mr Goldman votes no Mrs
▶ 7:11:16fedorek Mrs fedorek votes no Mr palone Mr palone votes I miss deette Miss deette votes I miss chowski miss chowski votes I miss
▶ 7:11:49Matsui Miss Matsui votes I miss Caster Miss caster votes I Mr tonko Mr Tonka votes I miss Clark Miss Clark votes I
▶ 7:12:19Mr Ruiz Mr Ruiz votes I Mr Peters Mr Peters votes I Mrs Dingle Mrs Dingle votes I Mr VC Mr VC votes I Miss Kelly Miss Kelly votes I miss beragon miss Bagon Bagon votes I Mr SoDo Mr soda votes I miss Sher
▶ 7:12:50Miss shrier votes I Mr mran Miss Fletcher Miss Fletcher votes I miss Ocasio Cortez Miss oazo Cortez votes I Mr aen Claus Mr aen Claus votes I Mr Carter of Louisiana Mr Carter of Louisiana votes I Mr Menendez Mr Mendez votes I Mr Mullen Mr lansman Mr lansman
▶ 7:13:20votes I miss mclen miss mclen votes I chairman Guthrie chairman Guthrie votes no how is Mr OB recorded Mr oberti is not recorded Mr oberti votes no how is Dr Miller Meeks recorded Mrs Miller Meeks is not recorded Mrs Miller Meeks votes no the clerk will report the result
▶ 7:14:11chairman Joyce on that vote there were 22 eyes and 23 NOS the amendment is not agreed to are there further amendments Mr oen clo is recognized chair I have an amendment at the desk h13 the clerk will report the amendment could you please clarify which amendment h13 vaccines amendment
▶ 7:14:42to draft oversight h13 on page four under the section Food and Drug Administration without objection the reading of the amendment is dispensed with and the gentleman is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment thank you chair uh recently the gentleman from Virginia Mr Griffith stated that to the extent that this Administration was espousing uh content that did not have scientific Integrity uh or that was undermining confidence
▶ 7:15:12in science that Republican or Democrat there would be oversight over that and I I genuinely appreciate that that is the role that we have on this Committee of oversight and given who our secretary of Health and Human Services is we're going to have our hands full let's meet secretary Kennedy who specializes now for decades in conspiracy and quackery this man does not believe that Al-Qaeda attacked America on 911 this man thinks that Wi-Fi causes leaky brain syndrome this man does not
▶ 7:15:42think that AIDS cause is caused by a virus this man believes that covid was ethnically engineered to spare Jews and the Chinese this man believes that the government Engineers pandemics every few years and that there are quote cemeteries with a bunch of child coffins end quote from government experiments and I've got receipts for all of these comments of course most notoriously secretary SEC secretary Kennedy believes that quote no vaccine is safe and effective end quote
▶ 7:16:12this document this oversight document proposed by Congressional Republicans has zero mention of the word vaccine the word vaccine does not appear in the document this despite the fact that the Secretary of Health and Human Services is a notorious antivaxer and that vaccines have been the most safe and effective medical intervention of the last century that 146 million kids lives have been saved in the last 50 years because of vaccines for things like measles and polio and pertusus and
▶ 7:16:42rubella it's not academic that we have a secretary who does not believe in the safety and efficacy of vaccines in 2019 he took his antivaxx Road Show to Samoa and Samoa was doing a measles vaccination drive because there had been an incident where nurses had had mixed a viin correct and a child had tragically died and so they were trying to rebuild public confidence in uh the measles vaccine the MMR uh now Kennedy ran what he called quote a natural experiment he was excited
▶ 7:17:12about this and he pumped disinformation and propaganda into the Samoan Public Health and Social Media ecosystem and 83 people died the majority of them were children uh they died in pain their lungs filled with liquid uh and they choked to death now RFK doesn't seem to think that that's any related to the MMR vaccine he says that when he was young his 11 brothers and sisters got measles and it was quote a great week they just had chicken soup and vitamin A and it was no
▶ 7:17:43issue the challenge is I don't think chicken soup and vitamin A is going to cut it in Texas and Georgia where we now have outbreaks and the secretary is intent on running the same quote natural experiment that he ran in Samoa here in the United States we've got four members of the Texas delegation who are Republicans on this committee we've got two members uh of the Georgia delegation on this committee who are Republicans and I would certainly hope that they
▶ 7:18:13would stand up through oversight against secretary Kennedy and declared that Texas and Georgia are not Laboratories for his natural experiments that the measles vaccine works that every parent should take should have their kids take the MMR vaccine because RFK when he was asked directly would he recommend parents take the vaccine refuse to say that they should now Senator Cassidy during the oversight hearings tried to assuage public concern about this by getting a series
▶ 7:18:43of commitments from secretary Kennedy about vaccines here's what he didn't get a commitment on though he did not get a commitment on the vaccine injury Compensation Program which is a little known government program over which the Secretary of Health and Human Services has tremendous power and that provides an alternative to civil claims litigation for people who claim to be injured by vaccines if he demolishes that program it's going to undermine the distribution and development of vaccines and you will see further outbreaks now chairman Guthrie I understand that you're G to whip no on this vote but I
▶ 7:19:14want to yield my last 30 seconds to you and just ask you if he's here all is Palmer here Mr Palmer of oversight I would ask you sir in your role as the chair of oversight will you strenuously enforce oversight of the vaccine injury Compensation Program to prevent secretary Kennedy from dismantling it and thereby making it impossible to
▶ 7:19:44develop and distribute vaccines and leading to further meal outbreaks in response to the gentleman we will exercise vigorous oversight over the entire federal government including past actions of the federal government the previous administration which should be satisfactory to the gentleman will sir will you protect the vaccine injury Compensation Program from secretary Kennedy he made no such commitment to Senator Cassidy so I just want to make sure that at least the house is on the record if he's not on the record in the Senate we will exercise
▶ 7:20:15due diligence and oversight every aspect of the federal government well I I certainly hope that the members from Texas and and Georgia will take a firmer stance on their side of the aisle than than than that is there additional discussion on the amendment Dr Dunn from Florida is recognized thank you Mr chairman I'd like to speak in opposition to the amendment the oversight Plan before us already covers this topic in three different places first the plan notes that the committee will conduct oversight of the federal government's policies and procedures
▶ 7:20:45relating to pandemic prediction prevention preparedness and response second in the pl's discussion related uh to CDC oversight the committee will be examined issues including cdc's role in preparing and responding to Emeral emerging biological threats and infectious diseases and third in the pl discussion related to the FDA it notes that the committee will work to ensure that the FDA is fulfilling its mission to ensure that regulated drugs and medical devices are safe
▶ 7:21:15effective and available to American patients in an expeditious fashion even taken separately each of these instances are certainly broad enough to Encompass the vaccine related priorities included in the amendment and taking together this amendment is wholly un necessary therefore I urge my colleagues to vote no on the amendment gentleman yields is there any additional discussion on the amendment Dr shrier from Washington is recognized
▶ 7:21:45well first I want to thank my colleague for the amendment and and want to clarify that this program is is a program that makes it uh so that families can be compensated and uh in that way does not uh subject manufacturers of vaccines to lawsuits that would uh discourage them from manufacturing life-saving vaccines and so as a pediatrician I want to emphasize how important that program is and how grateful I am to
▶ 7:22:15the manufacturers of vaccines that have saved millions of lives um I I have a question for Mr Palmer uh I would I would ask and I would love to have a commitment from you that um we've been talking about measles but I would say if there are outbreaks of more than three cases of any vaccine preventable disease so let me just name a few uh we can talk about measles Ms uh protasis we could talk about polio we can talk about chickenpox all preventable
▶ 7:22:45B vaccines there is no reason for any child to get these uh will you subpoena will you call in uh RFK Jr Secretary of Health and Human Services to come in and answer for I will exercise due diligence and oversight of the entire federal government I would like more of a commitment from you well you just got the commitment you're going to get my colleagues
▶ 7:23:16are laughing and I just want to be really clear again as a pediatrician we should not have to wait for kids to get sick and kids to die because you think this is some sort of joke when there are experts representing Public Health in this country uh who so doubt about proven science about vaccines cause parents to hesitate and some of them then to not vaccinate their children and their children get sick potentially die or their
▶ 7:23:46children bring diseases to school to the child in that classroom with leukemia this is not a laughing matter I think you ought to be at Town Halls are raising and it is very important that we take action to explicitly conduct in investigations into access to systems here at CMS um this is some of the most sensitive personal data that exists for some of the most vulnerable medical populations that exist and I genuinely believe this should be a straightforward vote
▶ 7:24:16we should be ensuring that that the laws on the books are upheld and given the massive activities that we've been seeing around CMS we should have an explicit uh I think we should have an explicitly hold a hearing to ensure that that access to CMS systems are transparent and reported um and with that I I yeld back to the chair the general lady yields Dr Dunn from Florida is recognized
▶ 7:24:47thank you very much Mr chairman the oversight plan makes it clear that the committee is focused on rooting out fraud waste and abuse in the Medicare and Medicaid programs in fact the government accountability office examined the very serious and growing risk posed to the Medicare and Medicaid programs resulting from exactly fraud waste abuse in 2023 alone GAO found improper payments in Medicaid totaling billion in Virginia investigators uncovered
▶ 7:25:17uncovered over $22 million in payments to deceased Medicaid beneficiaries this committee worked to combat ways fraud abuse in Medicare and Medicaid programs over the past year and on a bipartisan basis we intend to continue these efforts to focus on ensuring providers are eligible to Pro uh to build Medicaid and ensuring we know exactly who is eligible to receive Medicaid benefits more to the point CMS authorized Doge
▶ 7:25:48to have readon access to cms's payment system without compromising any personal medical information I would hope and think that my friends on the other side of aisle would welcome effort to help us uncover any unnecessary spending that is diverting resources away from the most vulnerable patient populations and I urge no vote on the amendment Mr chairman I yeld back anyone else wish
▶ 7:26:18to be heard on amendment uh recognize Mr SoDo for five minutes thanks so much I think it's a great time to have a a doge check in right now we just over the last two weeks we've seen these are kind of the top five most ridiculous things that at least I felt Doge did first of all we saw the president claim millions of people getting Social Security fraudulently which obviously right afterwards he had to say didn't happen then we saw
▶ 7:26:48just today do quietly deletes the five biggest spending cuts it announced with joy last week cuz they false they had announced 55 billion in cut only to come back to say it's 7.2 billion we saw the firing of number four the firing of critical nuclear Engineers FAA DOD all these folks that are the only ones who know how to do this and then today we just saw a bunch of folks who work for Doge quit
▶ 7:27:19so if this is the start of this great efficiency effort uh it isn't an one and I yield thank you um thank you Mr s Soo and I once again this is this amendment has nothing to do with any accusations of waste or abuse it's not here to litigate that it is once again to ensure that the committee will conduct oversight to ensure that these
▶ 7:27:49that this data is only granted to people with who are authorized government officials that's all that this amendment does ensuring that this committee is is conducting proper oversight so that authorized government officials have access to these systems that's all this amendment does it's not litigating waste it's not litigating abuse the reason this is important is because Doge just posted classified information on its website sharing budget and Staffing
▶ 7:28:19information of the national office within the White House complex Wi-Fi permissions that are meant to bolster security by prompting that users are logging in frequently were just recently changed to allow guests to remain logged in at White at the White House complex Wi-Fi for a year up from just seven days because so many new personal devices are being used to
▶ 7:28:50access the White House Wi-Fi network this isn't even about intent these permissions you have one device that remains logged in and is and uh and gets lost in the back of a cab and you have a data breach on our hands we have to ensure that we are using our proper oversight and investigatory capacities to make sure that these systems are properly secured
▶ 7:29:20that's all this amendment does that genuinely it's all it does I I have the amendment at the desk I'm happy to circulate it to all of my colleagues this is just about insur uring that the folks who are authorized to have this information are the ones that get that are getting it and no one else because we're already starting to see some cracks in our systems we're starting to see some cracks in the security of these systems whether they are intentional or not but it is very clear that
▶ 7:29:51there are Liberties being taken here that are creating a leaky data flow and if we don't take care of it now if something big happens it's going to be on this committee's hands and I don't want that to be the case thank you now you'll back and I thank the gentle lady uh we can include this as number six in the Doge disaster of things that we've seen so far and yield back gentlemen yields back you
▶ 7:30:21have anyone interested on this side anyone else interested in speaking on the other side M metui recognize for five minutes we strike the last word and I've been listening very intently with uh what was being said with this last Amendment particular Mr Kia cordz and others um we're talking about the duties and the responsibilities of our committee and I don't I'm looking at this and realizing
▶ 7:30:51that what we're saying is is that under under the GU of looking for government efficiency and I say inefficient this is this is just a guys masan his 20 year olds have strong arm their way into our most personal information information that most of of us when you think about hacking our health care hacking our social security hacking our
▶ 7:31:21uh tax records we would be but we're letting this happen and doge is not equipped these young 20 year olds are not equipped their lack of knowledge about these programs and unfamiliarity with the data they don't know what they're have and they will let this data flow and all of a sudden we'll find out that people have our
▶ 7:31:51most personal information security information about country and we will be thought flat and this is a warning and we have to understand that something like this cannot happen at all I am you know every time we read about some sort of breach or hack we get all worried about it we get information from like's say the healthc care provider or something like this
▶ 7:32:22this is happening in our government and you look at this any small change they can make is going to be significant in our lives and we may not be able to go back and fix it and that scares me this is really a five alarm fire this committee has to stand up has to stand
▶ 7:32:52up and I I can't believe that you on the other side are going to continue to be silent about this because it affects all us and if we don't realize this today we're going to be paying for it in the days ahead with that I yeld back the balance of my time GLE lady yields back anyone Desiring to speak
▶ 7:33:22on this side anyone else on the Democrat side of the aisle seeing none we'll move to the vote for roll there is a request for a roll call vote so we will now begin with a roll call vote on this amendment H number and we'll start the roll call please Mr L Mr L votes no Mr Griffith
▶ 7:33:53Mr Griffith votes no Mr Griffith votes no bakus Mr bakus votes no Mr Hudson Mr Hudson Mr Carter of Georgia
▶ 7:34:23Mr Carter of Georgia votes no Mr Palmer Palmer Mr Palmer votes no Mr Dunn Mr Dunn votes no Mr khaw Mr
▶ 7:34:53khaw Mr Joyce Mr Joyce votes no Mr Weber Mr Weber votes no Mr Allen Mr Allen votes no Mr balderson Mr balderson
▶ 7:35:24votes no Mr fure Mr fure votes no Mr fluger Mr fluger votes no Mrs harshbarger Mrs harburger votes no Mrs Miller
▶ 7:35:56Meeks Mrs Miller Meeks votes no this is kamik Mrs kamik votes no Mr oberti Mr O Mr oberti votes no Mr James Mr James Mr B
▶ 7:36:30Mr B votes no Mrs hin Mrs howchin Mr Fry Mr Fry M Lee M Lee Mr Langworthy Mr Langworthy
▶ 7:37:02Kane Mr Kane Mr rouy Mr ruy votes no Mr Evans Mr Evans votes no Mr Goldman Mr Goldman votes no
▶ 7:37:32Mrs fedorek Mrs fedorek votes no Mr palone Mr palone votes I miss deette miss dget votes I miss schakowski Miss trakowski votes I
▶ 7:38:03miss Matsui Miss Matsui votes I miss Caster Miss Caster votes I Mr tonko Mr tonco votes I miss Clark Miss Clark votes I Mr
▶ 7:38:36Ruiz Mr Ruiz votes I Mr Peters Mr Peters votes I Mrs Dingle Mrs Dingle votes I Mr VC Mr VC votes I I Miss Kelly Miss Kelly votes
▶ 7:39:07I miss beron miss beron votes I Mr SoDo Mr SoDo votes i m Trier M Trier votes I Mr Tran mran Miss Fletcher Miss Fletcher votes
▶ 7:39:38I miss Cortez m o Casio Cortez votes I Mr aen Claus Mr aen Claus votes I Mr Carter of Louisiana Mr Carter of Louisiana votes I Mendez Mr Menendez votes I Mr Mullen
▶ 7:40:09Mr Mullen Mr lansman Mr lansman votes I miss mclen miss McCullen votes I chairman Guthrie chairman Guthrie votes no has Mr Hudson recorded Mr Hudson is not recorded Mr Hudson votes
▶ 7:40:50and and the vote is Chairman Griffith on that vote there were 22 I's and 23 knows so close the amendment is not agreed to Mr chair Mr lansman Mr chair I have an amendment at the desk Mr L has an amendment at the desk it is labeled H17 trigger laws
▶ 7:41:30clerk will report the amendment amendment to draft oversight plan H17 on page three after quote the committee will continue to examine issues related to affordability of health care including areas where federal government intervention has contributed to increased costs for patients and families end quot insert the committee will examine the effect of cutting Federal Medicaid
▶ 7:42:00funding for those made eligible by Medicaid expansion on rates of uninsurance out of pocket costs and medical debt for lowincome Americans particularly in states with laws that require the termination of medical assistance for people covered under Medicaid expansion if the matching rate is reduced below 90% end quote Mr lansman recognize for five minutes thank you Mr chair uh as
▶ 7:42:31you heard my Amendment seeks to clarify that our oversight responsibilities include examining the effects of cutting Medicaid uh to States and how it will impact those who are covered by Medicaid expansion particularly in states that have so-called trigger laws that terminate Medicaid expansion if Federal Medicaid funding is reduced and since we are expected to vote on a budget bill
▶ 7:43:01that may include nearly a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicaid cuts to health care that tens of millions of people rely on it could be worse in States like Ohio where the legislature is considering a measure to repeal Medicaid expansion funding if Federal Medicare share Falls below 90% this would
▶ 7:43:31mean the elimination of health care for an additional 770,000 Ohioans more hospitals more doctors more long-term care facilities it will be devastating to children to families to seniors in my district in Southwest Ohio alone more than 160,000 people depend on healthare through Medicaid more
▶ 7:44:01than 40% of them are children so instead of passing A4 and A5 trillion dollar dumpster fire of a budget that makes huge cuts to Medicaid that could trigger even additional Cuts will trigger additional cuts to Medicaid Health Care folks we could because it was it was it was
▶ 7:44:31raised what's what is the alternative the alternative is so simple 100% of all tax relief goes to working people 100% goes to working people the middle class small businesses Farmers paid for with zero cuts to Health Care zero zero in new deficit spending the pay for is just asking the folks at the top to pay all their taxes if you give up
▶ 7:45:02on the tax giveaways to the top 2% you save $2.4 2.2.4 trillion just if you give up on the top 2% that allows you to avoid cutting health care for tens of millions of people hundreds of thousands in Ohio tens of thousands in my district all of these reasons this is an important Amendment
▶ 7:45:32and I urge my colleagues to support it I I would hope that at the very least they recognize that these trigger laws are very serious it will hurt hundreds of thousands of people our state alone and is just one more reason to walk away from these disastrous cuts to healthcare I yell back jimin yields back the chair recognized a gentleman from Georgia for five minutes move to strike last word Mr chairman this oversight
▶ 7:46:03plan already makes it clear that the committee will continue to examine issues around the affordability of health care for the American people including for Medicaid beneficiaries we spent all of last Congress working on a bipartisan effort to lower the cost of care through the lower cost more transparency act which I might add pass this committee unanimously pass the Ways and Means Committee went through the house
▶ 7:46:33I would say that both the past actions of this committee and listen to me carefully if you will I I I PID close attention to what you say I would say that both the past actions of this committee and the oversight plan in particular affirm our goal to lower health care costs for Americans while also bringing accountability accountability to federal spending because with that said we know that Medicade spending continues to grow at an unchecked rate we know that and we need
▶ 7:47:04to do more to make sure that it can remain sustainable to care for future Generations these people need us they Medicaid we need to be able to provide it for them the answer from the F Biden Administration over the past four years was always that more spending is the only way to lower cost throw more money at it and oh by the way the more money you throw away the more money you throw at it the more you care no it's not always the case
▶ 7:47:34not only is more government spending increase cost but it set our entitlement programs on a course for insolvency we all know that if you're a member of Congress you know that you know that we are headed for insolvency if we don't do something in 2023 alone the Medicaid Program have more than $50 billion in improper payments I don't think anybody in this room likes that I think everybody in this room wants
▶ 7:48:04to do something about that we can walk and we can talk at the same time though and we can prioritize rightsizing the Medicaid Program while also ensuring that we lower health care cost for Americans Mr chairman I've said it you've heard me say it I continue to say it we all want the same thing we want accessible affordable quality Health Care and we can do that and this oversight plan that we we have submitted does
▶ 7:48:35just that it's going to give us the opportunity to do that to achieve our common goal accessible affordable quality Health Care thank you Mr chairman and I yeld back Mr chair the gentleman yelds back Mr chair gentleman uh it's had time do somebody want to claim time and give you to gentleman from New Jersey what see recognition thank you chairman I yield to my colleague from Ohio thank you Mr chairman thank you uh Mr Menendez two things Mr Carter
▶ 7:49:05the PBM reforms are so critically important and you've worked harder than anybody on these PBM reforms and it passed out of this committee I think 44 to nothing most of them unanimous bipartisan support it ends up in the final spending Bill guess who kills it Elon Musk why are we letting them do this on the Medicaid question
▶ 7:49:36we don't have to cut a single Dollar in healthcare all we have to do is say for the top 2% of wage earners the big corporations in this country we are not going to continue to do these these tax giveaways we'll give tax cuts to everybody else saves you $2.4 trillion dollar zero cuts to Medicaid and you can invest those additional resources in reimbursement rates
▶ 7:50:06he y back gentleman from New Jersey y back he chairman I yield gentleman from Ohio what per recognition Mr Ry we got a lot of OHS too don't we Mr Ry thank you chairman um if you tell a big enough lie enough and keep repeating it it will eventually become believed as the truth I spent seven years in the Ohio Senate I was chairman of government I had Medicaid in my committee every year let's get the facts straight about what goes on in Ohio
▶ 7:50:36the general assembly of Ohio operates on $93 billion worth third in the country for Medicaid expansion of $44 billion we work very diligently in the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House Representatives to make that money put to good use but the lies that have been spread in the last eight hours about how there's this Medicaid and Medicare uh language in there which doesn't exist is unacceptable it is a lie it doesn't exist it is not part of this and I've entertained this for eight eight hours now
▶ 7:51:07but Medicaid in Ohio is third in the country for expansion we do the best that we can the answer is not throwing more money the answer is being a better Steward of due diligence of the money that the people already give him and applied in the proper procedure without a yield back tment the gentleman y's back anyone seeking recognition oh I want to the gentl lady from California recognized
▶ 7:51:37for five minutes how do I get my own chairman thank you Mr chairman we know a little bit about ly because we hear it all the time from across the aisle so it's kind of offensive to hear he's the one who brought it up Mr chairman he brought it up that he's been hearing lies for the last eight hours so I don't want to hear a boo I don't want to hear a boo okay why don't you get your folks decorum in order and I'm serious from California has the time thank you
▶ 7:52:08um I move to strike the last word um rather tonight maybe a House Republicans will try to pass a budget that betrays the American people and American families their scheme will slash Medicaid by nearly $1 trillion robbing health care for millions of seniors and children and hardworking families all to fund massive tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations that is the
▶ 7:52:39truth Medicaid isn't just numbers it's real people and real lives and we know what people will go through because many lost Medicaid even after the covid pandemic happened Justin Gibbs a married father of four from Ohio lost his Medicaid after he finally got his high blood pressure under control with the combination of three different medications Mr Mr chairman there there is not order in the room Mr chairman there is not order in the room
▶ 7:53:10would you repeat your question I'm sorry no there's no order in the room and and I I'm sorry I was observe the um I'm sorry there's a vote on the floor we were discussing that so yeah the committee will come to order the little lady make General lady may continue yes I should get another 30 seconds back Justin Gibbs a married father of four from Ohio lost his Medicaid after he finally gotten his high blood pressure under control with a combination of three different medications but after he had his Medicaid coverage terminated in a nationwide eligibility review
▶ 7:53:40he had to go without medication for a week and and a second for several days he was afraid that his progress could reverse Justin is 53 and works multiple part-time jobs Kristen forner from Arkansas suddenly received notice in the mail that she needed to prove that she and her husband still deserve Medicaid these stories are about people and it's about their health care and it's about how they had such a difficult time some of them coming off their Medicare off of their meds because their Medicaid had been cut
▶ 7:54:10off and suddenly Kristen owed hundreds of dollars she's 33 years old she's a waitress and earns $3 an hour plus tips these are real people these are stories these are constituents and there are many constituents not only in my district where I have over 340,000 people on Medicaid and those people are at risk of looing losing their health care but many in room I have this poster board here today so the American people could
▶ 7:54:41see we have representative John James who represents Michigan's 10th district and sits right here on the Energy and Commerce Committee he has in his jurisdiction 24% of his constituents relied on Medicaid that's over 184,000 people 184,000 constituents do you go home and say I voted to take away your Medicaid or do you stand up and say I'm here to vote for you I'm here to stand up for Working Families not for the billionaires
▶ 7:55:12not for the big corporations that is the test that will happen we also have Mr Gabe Evans 25% of his district relies on Medicaid that's over 180,000 people and let's take a look at how many children how many children this is about the children 49% of children in his district will Li Medicaid so are is is this representative going to stand up for his constituents
▶ 7:55:42and his children we will know shortly David valo one of my colleagues from California look at this 62% of his constituents rely on Medicaid imagine going back to your district and I voted to take away your health care I voted that your children vulnerable children are not going to have access to health care or those with disabilities that's shameful just shameful I don't know how they do it but I do hope that
▶ 7:56:13every one of these members is going to go back and hold a town hall so they can hear from their constituents how they betrayed American families how they betrayed American families and with that said we need just three Republicans to stand up and say I'm going to fight I'm going to fight I'm going to join you I'm going to stop this madness and we're going to help save healthc care for the American people i y back
▶ 7:56:43gentle lady yields back with there's a vote on the floor and this is what we'll do we'll recess to take the vote on the floor I will come immediately back but we will not vote on it we won't do a roll call vote until 15 minutes after the last vote but if you want to speak come back and we'll get started but but we won't do a roll call until 15 minutes after the last vote well we'll start 15 minutes after the last vote thank you the committee is in
▶ 10:04:48e for
▶ 10:05:39all right the subcommittee will come back to order as I said after the last vote we' give people at least 15 minutes to get back before we vote but next in the queue to speak on on my friend from Ohio amendment was Dr gentleman from Florida Mr dun thank you very much Mr chairman we were discussing trigger laws and we were so rudely interrupted uh there is nothing in this oversight plan or budget resolution for that matter that addresses changing the expansion population uh fmap uh settings it's
▶ 10:06:09anything to set off the the trigger laws all this oversight plan does is call into question the growing costs of entitlement programs like Medicaid and resolve to address ways to rightsize the government and ensure long-term sustainability for the programs uh now I know that outside groups have talked about these policies as ways to address the overall cost of the Medicaid Program and we know that Medicaid spending is going to grow from 550 billion this year to over 800 billion by the end of
▶ 10:06:39the decade and that's unsustainable it's unsustainable and you know it's unsustainable and I do too we shouldn't have to just discuss and address some specific policy proposal that isn't even being discussed today in either the oversight plan or the budget resolution is that Mr chair I yeld back the gentan yelds back Mr have you taken time somebody want to oh uh General lady from
▶ 10:07:09Virginia you want to yield time to my friend from Ohio thank you Mr chair yes I do okay I I apologize Mr chair I'm getting it so the reason why the trigger laws are so important and and why this is something that we're going to have to wrestle with is that ago you all passed the budget resolution that includes $880 billion in
▶ 10:07:40cuts from here and as the ranking member went through earlier you don't get very far cutting anything else and so the Assumption reasonably so is that there's going to be drastic cuts to medic Medicaid that's the only way to get to $880 billion do so right now in the state of Ohio a house bill 96
▶ 10:08:11they are set to pass a piece of legislation that includes the following langu language if the federal medical assistance proc percentage for medical assistance provided to members of the expansion eligibility group is set below 90% then the department of Medicaid shall immediately discontinue all medical assistance for members of that group that's 770 Ohioans that's almost
▶ 10:08:41800,000 Ohioans that's why it's relevant that's why we should take it up hey y back gentleman yields back to the gentle lady from Virginia you want to yield back or you have time uh thank you Mr chair um I I would just remind our colleagues that if the trigger laws are triggered by cuts to Medicaid um which I don't see how we get
▶ 10:09:11to $880 billion without that's going to have an impact on our state budgets that's going to close hospitals particularly in rural areas and hundreds of thousands of people in Virginia alone are going to lose their health and we I was in the state legislature when we expanded Medicaid and it was a vote because
▶ 10:09:41Republicans in the state understood that their constituents needed health care that their constituents needed their hospitals to stay open and that their constituents were counting on them to ensure they had healthc care coverage and any action that this committee or any other committee takes
▶ 10:10:11that rips Health Care away from 80 million Americans or even just the expansion States we should have an oversight hearing to determine what's the ripple effect on those states and their populations and their access to care and we Sher our responsibility as members of this body in a
▶ 10:10:41public in a federal state Partnership if we don't do that and so I think we need to include in our plan something that shows we recognize our responsibility not just to our constituents but our state government partners because we're about to blow a hole in their budget that they're going to not be able to fill with that I yield back okay with the gentleman the gentle woman yield to me for the last minute
▶ 10:11:12I I do I just want to point out you know I heard what Mr lansman said in the context of this amendment and I heard Mr rouy I think I hope I'm pronouncing it right uh disagree and say that Ohio doesn't I mean the way I understood he said that Ohio doesn't really have a trigger law that does this so I mean again these I think there are nine states that have trigger laws of some sort so I mean I do think it I mean even in the case of Ohio but the other ones I mean it makes sense to
▶ 10:11:42have this in the oversight plan because I don't think it's at all clear from this uh discussion here uh you know how many states have this what the trigger laws say when it's triggered again I mean we're talking about uh potential cuts of you know several hundred billion dollars and it certainly makes sense to include that in the oversight plan I yield back to the woman gentle lady from Virginia yields back
▶ 10:12:13I do thank you thank you uh G lady yels back see any discussion on the Republicans that any more on the Democrat right side we yeah I said that we're going to have 15 minutes after votes I think we're right at it by the time we do the roll call will certainly everybody would have plenty of time to have gotten back um so there no further discussion on the amendment the vote occurs on the amendment all those in well um the gentleman from New Jersey has requested a roll call vote and the clerk will call
▶ 10:12:44rooll Mr lad no Mr L votes no Mr Mr Griffith votes no Mr bacus Mr bakus votes no Mr Hudson Mr Carter of Georgia Mr Carter of Georgia votes no Mr Palmer Mr Palmer votes no Mr Dunn Mr Dunn votes no Mr kensaw Mr Joyce Mr Joyce votes no Mr Weber Mr Weber votes no Mr Allen Mr balderson
▶ 10:13:15Mr balderson votes no Mr fure no Mr f votes no Mr fluger Mr fluger votes no Mr Mrs harshbarger Mrs harburger votes no Mrs Meeks Mrs Miller Meeks votes no Mrs kamik Mr oberti Mr oberti votes no Mr James Mr James votes no Mr B Mr B votes no Mrs hin Mrs hin votes no Mr Fry Mr Fry votes no Miss Lee Miss Lee
▶ 10:13:45votes no Mr Langworthy Mr Langworthy votes no Mr Mr Kane votes no Mr Ry Mr Evans Mr Evans votes no Mr Goldman Mr Goldman votes no Mrs fedorek Mrs borek votes no Mr palone Mr palone votes I miss dget m deette votes I miss chowski m chowski Miss chowski votes I miss Matsui
▶ 10:14:16Miss Matsui votes I miss caster tonco Mr tonco votes I miss Caster votes I miss Clark Mr Ruiz Mr Peters Mrs Dingle Mrs Dingle votes I Mr VY Mr VY votes I Miss Kelly Miss Kelly votes I miss Bagan Miss Bagan votes I Mr SoDo Mr SoDo votes I miss Sher
▶ 10:14:47M Sher votes I Miss Tran Tran votes I miss Fletcher Miss Fletcher votes I miss Ocasio Cortez Miss Ocasio Cortez votes I Mr aen Claus Mr aen Claus votes I Mr Carter of Louisiana Mr Carter of Louisiana votes I Mr Menendez Mr mandez votes I Mr Mullen Mr lansman Mr lansman votes I miss mclen miss mclen votes I chairman Guthrie no chairman Guthrie votes
▶ 10:15:17no Mr Allen Mr is not recorded Mr Allen votes no Miss kamik Miss kamik is not recorded Mrs kamik votes no M Miss Clark Miss Clark is not recorded Miss Clark votes I is anyone else looking to answer the roll call it has been more than 15 minutes so everybody's had an opportunity to get back I'll make sure everybody has opportunity to vote um so the clerk will report
▶ 10:15:52chairman Guthrie on that vote there were 21 eyes and 27 NOS 21 eyes and 27 no's the amendment is not agreed to are there any other amendments you you wants to go with Kell is it Miss Kelly okay or is it vagon okay what person General lady from California see recognition uh Mr chairman I have an amendment at the desk the clerk what amendment evv 18 18
▶ 10:16:23the clerk will report I'm could you repeat I'm sorry would you repeat that e n Vore 18 clerk report could the gentle lady from uh California read the first sentence of the environment Amendment okay did she say
▶ 10:16:53on page nine after the section titled cirla and brownfields and a new section title environmental justice insert and I'm quoting the committee will review how the billions of dollars of EPA and doe grants illegally Frozen by the Trump Administration are stying environmental justice including low-income communities and Rural communities ability to fund initiatives addressing rural infrastructure clean water toxic contamination and clean air this oversight will include the targeting of civil servants designated to administer
▶ 10:17:23these programs you want to continue reading okay that you have the amendment of the report amendment to draft oversight plan without objection the reading of the amendment is dispensed with we did have the reading from our friend from California and the gentle lady is recognized for five minutes in support of her Amendment thank you Mr chairman my Amendment demands immediate oversight of how the Trump administ ministrations illegal frees of billions and environmental and clean energy grants have harmed environmental
▶ 10:17:54justice communities including low-income and Rural communities and districts represented by my colleagues across the aisle these grants fund essential initiatives to support clean drinking water toxic contamination cleanup and improved air quality in recent weeks we have seen repeated stories of Frozen funds causing chaos a Missouri school district couldn't pay for electric school buses a project to Modern the power grid in Georgia was put on hold a grant to address drought
▶ 10:18:24in Southwestern Colorado is in Jeopardy there are thousands of similar stories in all our districts while where are House Republicans while the president continues to illegally withhold funds nowhere to be found silent as their own constituents and project suffer House Republicans are running a scheme to steal health care and environmental cleanup funds from the American people all to reward billionaires with more tax
▶ 10:18:54cuts while their constituents suffer from pollution this Republican betrayal does nothing to lower costs for everyday Americans the Administration has also slashed environmental justice staff and plans to shut down the EPA office of environmental justice this corporate polluter giveaway harms communities of color in my district and across the country that suffer from dangerous pollution it also hurts Rural and economically disadvantaged areas where a lot of
▶ 10:19:24Republicans are severely impacted by pollution my Amendment ensures that we fully understand the Damage Done by these Republican budget cuts and illegally Frozen funds I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and protect all our communities from pollution y back thank you the general lady yields back the chair recognize a gentleman from Virginia for five minutes thank you Mr chairman I oppose the amendment the this amendment is unnecessary as the oversight plan already includes oversight of the EPA including the agency's funding
▶ 10:19:54decisions resource allocation and grants the committee has already been engaged in the oversight of environmental justice programs including use of resources and agency management of these programs in fact the subcommittee on oversight investigations is holding a hearing tomorrow to assess epa's implementation of its Grant programs now it's my understanding the EPA is starting to unfreeze some of these funds but a new Administration came in they froze funds so that they could get an idea as to what was being done what was being done properly or not properly
▶ 10:20:25what was being done legally or illegally but I want to draw the attention of the members to the wording of the amendment because if we're doing oversight our job is to go in we may feel a certain way but we shouldn't prejudge until we've heard all the evidence this amendment purportedly calls on us to hold an investigation but in the second line first sentence second line of the amendment it says illegally Frozen by the Trump Administration well
▶ 10:20:55it's nothing but a kangaroo court if you've already made your mind up so I urge everyone to vote no and I yield back gentleman yields back any discussion further discussion seeing none if there's no further discussion the V Ur vote occurs on the amendment the gentleman from New Jersey has requested a roll call vote and the clerk will call the row Mr L Mr L
▶ 10:21:25votes no Mr Griffith Mr Griffith votes no Mr bacus Mr bacus votes no Mr Hudson Mr Carter of Georgia Mr Carter of Georgia votes no Mr Palmer Mr Palmer votes no Mr Dunn Mr Dunn votes no Mr khaw Mr Joyce Mr Joyce votes no Mr Mr Weber Mr Weber votes no Mr Allen Mr
▶ 10:21:56Mr Mr Allen votes no Mr balderson Mr balderson votes no Mr fure Mr fure votes no Mr fluger Mr fluger votes no Mrs harburger Mrs harburger votes no Mrs Meeks Mrs Miller Meeks votes no Mrs kamik Mr oberti Mr oberti votes no Mr James Mr James votes no Mr B Mr B votes no Mrs howchin Mrs
▶ 10:22:26hin votes no Mr Fry Mr Fry votes no Miss Lee Miss Lee votes no Mr Langworthy Mr Langworthy votes no Mr Kane Mr Kane votes no Mr rouy Mr Evans Mr Evans votes no Mr Goldman Mr Goldman votes no Mrs fedorek Mrs fedorek votes no Mr palone Mr palone votes i m deette Miss deette votes I Mr Kowski Mr Kowski votes I
▶ 10:22:56miss Matsui Miss Matsui votes I miss Caster Miss Caster votes I Mr tonco Mr tonko votes I miss Clark Miss Clark votes I Mr Ruiz Mr Ruiz votes I Mr Peters Mrs Dingle Mrs Dingle votes I Mr VC Mr VC votes I Miss Kelly Miss Kelly votes I Mrs beragon Mrs beragon votes I Mr SoDo Mr SoDo votes I miss Sher Miss Trier
▶ 10:23:27votes I Miss Tran Miss Tran votes I miss Fletcher Miss Fletcher votes I miss Ocasio Cortez Miss oio Cortez votes I Mr aen Claus Mr aen Claus votes I Mr Carter of Louisiana Mr Carter of Louisiana votes I Mr Mendez Mr Menendez votes I Mr Mullen Mr lansman Mr lansman votes I miss mclen miss McCullen votes I chairman Guthrie chairman
▶ 10:23:57Guth three votes no m kamik is not recorded M kamik votes no anyone on Democrat side seeing none the clerk report chairman got three on that vote there were 22 eyes and 27 NOS seven NOS the amendment is not agreed to are there further
▶ 10:24:28amendments Miss Fletcher what purpose the general lady from Texas have a Mr chairman I have an amendment at the desk it's h31 cler report the amendment amendment to draft oversight plan h31 with that objection the reading of the amendment is dispensed
▶ 10:24:58with and the gentle lady is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment thank you Mr chairman almost three years ago the Supreme Court overturned roie Wade and since that time people in States like mine that have outlawed abortion have been in crisis and frankly in my state the crisis started even before the dobs decision because what we have seen is that the vague and punitive laws outlawing abortion prevent access to reproductive Health Care much more broadly
▶ 10:25:29in Texas we have seen story after story after Story of women who were sent home from the hospitals while they were having miscarriages told to wait outside in their cars because they weren't bleeding enough they didn't have a high enough fever they weren't as one was told close enough to dying to get care they were told to go home we've heard from a lot of these women and we've heard from families of women who were not able to get care
▶ 10:25:59at all and who have died these are our fellow Texans our fellow Americans in Houston in Austin in vder across our state the denials and delays in getting Health Care in states that have banned abortion real we hear it from patients and we hear it from Physicians they are not able to meet the standard of care that they have been trained to provide for their patients and they live with
▶ 10:26:30the threat of losing their medical license or being criminally charged for providing reproductive Health Care to their patients in Texas doctors who perform abortions are subject to a $100,000 fine and life in prison an anti-abortion law ERS continue to say that these bans won't stop doctors from treating ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages but that is not what we are seeing in our state and across the country a recent
▶ 10:27:00report found that since the abortion ban in Texas the rate of sepsis has increased by more 50% for women being hospitalized for miscarriage we also know that states like mine that have abortion banss have some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country and at least in my state the state maternal mortality committee has failed to fully review the deaths from the first two years since the state banned nearly all abortions from its reporting there is
▶ 10:27:30no transparency and as I understanded a similar thing happened in in Georgia they just disbanded their committee we need to be clear about the impact that these laws are having on our constituents we need to understand it and we need to understand something else that is critically important across Ross the country 40% of births 40% of births in the United States of America are covered by Medicaid in Texas that number 50% so
▶ 10:28:00in the directive in the budget resolution that our friends on the other side of the aisle just voted for comes back to this committee to cut at least $880 billion in spending from our committee we understand that that is coming from Medicaid cutting Medicaid from children and pregnant women as this budget resolution dictates will only make things worse and it's not very pro-life my Amendment today
▶ 10:28:30states that this committee will support data reporting that tracks the consequences that state abortion restrictions have on patients and providers across the country these are the things we should want to know if we are serious about understanding the impacts of the laws on Americans health and safety and their ability to access the care that they need it's more important than ever that we work to protect the health dignity and freedom of women and families across this country so that they can safely
▶ 10:29:01access reproductive health care and make their own decisions about their families thank you Mr chairman and I yield back thank you the gentle lady yields back is there any discussion on the Republican side seeing none oh M gentleman from from Georgia you recognize for five minutes Mo the strike last word Mr chairman I move the speak in opposition to the amendment every child every child
▶ 10:29:32is a gift and a blessing and Republicans have shown commitment to supporting mothers and babies at every every stage of life for example this committee worked in a bipartisan fashion to move the maternal and child health still birth prevention act through the committee process and get it signed in the law we also worked on the preey reauthorization ACT and preventing maternal deaths reauthorization act and I hope we're able to
▶ 10:30:02continue this bipartisan work through this Congress to get these reauthorizations signed in the law the Dos decision simply gave individual states the authority to regulate abortion to more clearly reflect the will of their residents the oversight plan already includes it already includes and we've been saying this all day long it already includes broad Public Health oversight including maternal and infant health
▶ 10:30:32programs that's the reason this amendment is unnecessary and it's only politically motivated it is not necessary the oversight's already in there Mr chairman I yield gentan Ys back any gentle lady from from Illinois you're recognized for five minutes I move to strike the last word chairman I speak in support of this amendment
▶ 10:31:02from what was just voted on uh Republicans want to rip away Medicaid in the midst of our maternal mortality crisis as my colleague said Medicaid pays for more than 40% of all births in the US Medicaid also pays for 75% of all publicly funded Family Planning services such as contraception breast and cervical cancer screenings and HIV counseling more hospitals in rural areas will be closed due to Medicaid Cuts increasing maternal care
▶ 10:31:32deserts half of counties in the US are already maternal care deserts giv birth should not be a partisan issue but this Republican budget will rip away Health Care from mothers and families no matter their political party women and Families deserve better than this budget and I've been working on maternal mortality and morbidity for about eight years now or nine years now and at first when I brought it to um this committee uh there was a lot
▶ 10:32:02of fighting from the other side about was it really necessary so everybody wasn't really on board uh from the beginning I yo back G lady yelds back is there anyone on the Republican side seeking recognition CN none the general lady from Virginia thank you Mr chair uh I move to strike the last word I almost became one of the statistics of black women who were three times more likely to die in child birth in this
▶ 10:32:33country When My Placenta ruptured and I was rushed into the emergency room for C-section when my heart rate and my now daughter's heart rate both were crashing the last thing I remember as I was being wheeled into the emergency room was my doctor saying I'm here and a nurse putting an oxygen mask on my face and saying everything's going to be
▶ 10:33:03fine and my last thought was you know at that moment I had the Peace of Mind of knowing that in that crisis moment my doctor would make the decision she felt necessary in that moment my daughter might not have that same peace mind jeli barika didn't have that peace of mind Amber
▶ 10:33:33Thurman didn't have that peace of mind I could be here all night listening the names of women who in the midst of an emergency or C-section went to a hospital in a state that bans abortion for a pregnancy they wanted in some cases desperately so after invito fertilization or fertility treatments and they were denied care because they weren't sick
▶ 10:34:04enough they were denied care until they were septic they were denied care until they died and that's why it's not a surprise that the states that have adopted abortion bans since the fall of Row versus weight also have the highest numbers of maternal mortality rates and in the
▶ 10:34:34of states where they won't provide abortions in the case of gross fetal abnormality and those children are born and in some cases the men their umbilical cord is cut they die because suffocate that has physical and mental
▶ 10:35:04consequences for the mother and the family that's what's happened because of these abortion bands now in a lot of States we know that the reason so I want I want you to think about that in the context of cuts to Medicaid where in many states and here at the federal level coverage was expanded to the first year after birth why because for a lot of women particularly black
▶ 10:35:34women you die from pregnancy related complications within the first year cardiovascular usually because you have an underlying health condition that has gone untreated because you don't have access to care so by providing coverage for the First full year we get you through and you're less likely to die so now you got more women dying because of abortion banss you're going to have more women die if we cut Medicaid
▶ 10:36:05because they don't have health care coverage after six months of pregnancy and we need to look at the consequences of our actions we need to look at the consequence I you know I'm a lawyer and I know words matter but actions matter and the unintended consequences of laws matter and it's life and death was almost death
▶ 10:36:37me and I want us to be sure that the next woman wheeled into an emergency in the middle of a miscarriage in the middle of bleeding out knows first of all that hospital will not have to call their lawyer and say is she sick enough that the hospital will be there because they were able to keep their Maternity Ward and their obstruction
▶ 10:37:08obst unit open and they had enough providers who said I am willing to be in an OBGYN because I don't have to worry about being prosecuted for providing the standard of care I think necessary and that's why this is more than just politics this is life and death I yell back G lady yells back is there anyone on the Republican side seeing none anyone the de the gentleman from New Jersey you recognized for five minutes move to strike the last word
▶ 10:37:38I'd like to thank my colleague from Texas uh Congressman Fletcher for introducing this amendment I'd like to thank my incredible colleague from Virginia Congressman mclen for for sharing those stories those real stories and I would just challenge uh my folks across the a who said this is a politically motivated Amendment this is about understanding the real consequences of what's Happening across the country with respect to State abortion restrictions and the impact that they're having on patients and providers across the country and something that is 100% within our jurisdiction
▶ 10:38:08hund something we should absolutely be concerned about is Republicans consider drastic immense cuts to Medicaid and all the incredible program progaming that they provide and coverage that they provide to women both during their pregnancy and postpartum so um this is definitely something of incredible importance uh something that we should all be concerned about on both sides of the aisle and that's why I will be supporting this amendment thank you and I Y back Jim and yields back anyone seeking recognition on the Republican side see none anybody the Democrat
▶ 10:38:38side my friend from Florida Miss Caster you recognize for five minutes thank you Mr chairman I want to thank representative Fletcher for her very thoughtful and important amendment I want to thank representative Kelly for her years of work on the maternal mortality crisis and R mlen for sharing her her very personal story um in Florida we are seeing an unfortunate increase in M maternal immortality I've been in uh since Florida's very Draconian 15
▶ 10:39:09week abortion ban was um implemented I've talked to providers in hospital and asked them directly is is this uh an impediment to providing the kind of care that you were trained to provide and unfortunately the answer is yes because yet yes it is the case the provider said that they in the in the case of a fetal emergency they are not able to provide the care that they're trained
▶ 10:39:40and that is medically necessary to provide this as rep Fletcher mentions leads to more cases of sepsis and a higher maternal mortality rate this demands oversight by this committee and and what you're going to do with Medicaid is you're going to make worse because women will not be able to receive the prenatal care they will not have the same kind of access to doctors uh during a pregnancy
▶ 10:40:10that's not pro-e that's going to make unfortunately women are going to die uh and it's going to make this a lot worse but what also adds insult to injury and why I really wanted to speak on this for new members and for the members who are here remember it wasn't that long ago that we worked together on a bipartisan Bill the prei act that was part of the yearend package that was negotiated between Democrats
▶ 10:40:40and Republicans uh that we passed we sent over to the Senate and lo and behold who is responsible for throwing a wrench into the Premia act that Premia act um resources for clinical biological social environmental genetic behavioral factors related to prematurity we put a little bit of money away to help prevent premature births
▶ 10:41:10and who was the one that threw a wrench into this and didn't let us get it across the Finish Line it was Elon Musk at the end of the year who said oh wait the bill that bill has too many pages Congress too many pages it must be a bad Bill ignoring the work that we had done so I think the the very least knowing all the statistics what is happening across the country with maternal mortality the very least Republicans could do
▶ 10:41:41as you set this up to gut Medicaid and care for children and pregnant women uh under that rely on Medicaid the very least you can do is in your oversight plan say that women pregnant women and women facing crisis uh and the impact of abortion bans across the country deserve a little bit of analysis so thank you rep Fletcher for bringing this allio back G lady yields back is there any other discussion on the Republican side see none
▶ 10:42:11on the Democrat side if there's no further discussion the vote occurs on the amendment gentleman from New Jersey request a recorded vote and the clerk will call the roll Mr L Mr L votes no Mr Griffith Mr Griffith votes no Mr bacus Mr bakus votes no Mr Hudson Mr Carter of Georgia Mr Carter of Georgia votes no Mr Palmer Mr Palmer votes no Mr Dunn Mr Dunn votes no Mr kensaw
▶ 10:42:42Mr Joyce Mr Joyce votes no Mr Weber Mr Weber votes votes no Mr Allen Mr balderson Mr balderson votes no Mr fure Mr fure votes no Mr fluger Mr fluger votes no Mrs harbarger Mrs harshbarger votes no Mrs Miller Meeks Mrs Miller Meeks votes no Mrs kamik Mrs Mr oberti Mr oberti votes no Mr James Mr B Mr B votes no M
▶ 10:43:12or Mrs hin Mrs hin votes no Mr Fry Mr fry votes no Miss Lee Miss Lee votes no Mr Langworthy Mr Langworthy votes no Mr Kane Mr Kane votes no Mr rouy Mr Evans Mr Evans votes no Mr Goldman Mr Goldman votes no Mrs Fedor Mrs fedorek votes no Mr palone Mr palone votes I miss deette miss deette votes I miss trakowski miss trakowski
▶ 10:43:43votes I miss Matsui Miss Matsui votes I miss Miss Caster votes I Mr tonco Mr tonko votes I miss Clark Miss Clark votes I Mr Ruiz Mr ruise votes I Mr Peters Mrs Dingle Mrs Dingle votes I Mr VC Mr VC votes I Miss Kelly Miss Kelly votes I miss Bagon Miss Bagon votes I Mr SoDo Mr SoDo
▶ 10:44:13votes I miss shrier miss shrier votes I Mr Miss Tran votes I miss Fletcher Miss Fletcher votes I miss Ocasio Cortez Miss Ocasio Cortez votes I Mr aen Claus Mr aen Claus votes I Mr Carter of Louisiana Mr Carter of Louisiana votes I Mr Menendez Mr Menendez votes I Mr Mullen Mr lansman Mr lansman votes I miss McAn Miss mclen votes I chairman
▶ 10:44:44Guthrie chairman Guthrie votes no Mr Allen is not recorded Mr Allen votes no anyone seeking recognition for the Mr James Mr James is not recorded Mr James votes no anyone on the Democrat side seeing no one um appearing to recall the role the clerk will report oh sorry um there is one Mr M Miss Kik how is she recorded
▶ 10:45:15is she not there okay L Kirk will call the RO will report I'm sorry getting chairman Guthrie on that vote there were 22 eyes and 26 nose six nose amendment is not agreed to for what purpose is the gentle lady from California seek recognition Mr chairman I have an amendment at the desk your amendment number Cat 4 Broadband
▶ 10:45:45availability affordability ility de okay uh the clerk will report the amendment amendment to draft oversight plan C 4 Broadband affordability in compliance with the law under the subsection titled quote availability of broadband end quot in the title of the subsection insert quote and affordability end quote after the word quote
▶ 10:46:15availability and quot under that subsection after the phrase quote helping or hindering Broadband Broadband without objection the reading of the amendment is suspens with and the general lady is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment thank you Mr chairman closing the digital divide must remain a key priority for this committee truly closing the digital divide however requires more than building out the infrastructure necessary to connect the tens of millions of Americans still
▶ 10:46:45without reliability reliable high-speed Broadband it also requires ensuring that everyday Americans can access affordable broadband and equipping Americans from our seniors to students with the necessary digital skills and devices to reap the full benefits of online access across all 50 states Broadband affordability and availability are the primary barriers to closing the digital divide unfortunately this committee's oversight plan only
▶ 10:47:15prioritizes Broadband availability this is short-sighted and risk leaving many Americans behind Democrats will keep fighting for the working class that's why my Amendment would ensure we also prioritize Broadband affordability so that every day Americans connect with their families doctors and schools online Democrats can also keep fighting to hold the White House and federal agencies accountable to the American people and to the law
▶ 10:47:46that's why my Amendment calls on this committee to conduct oversight to ensure this Administration is fully following the law when implementing Federal Broadband programs including the bipartisan infrastructure laws bead and digital Equity grants already we've seen the chaos and confusion caused by the White House's malicious and misguided Federal funding frees even as courts weigh in we can't deny the uncertainty this unprecedented power grab
▶ 10:48:16has un Le Forest States and communities as they question when they'll receive Broadband funding and what the delays will cost them this is especially important when our states and local communities have worked hard over the last few years to begin carrying out the bead and digital Equity plans States like Louisiana Nevada and Delaware are on track to put shovels in the ground this year to connect underserved communities many other States including my home state of California
▶ 10:48:46are are hard at work building a fair and competitive award process and implementing digital Equity plans so that our federal Broadband dollars go to where they are most needed all this progress however could be wasted if the Trump Administration chooses to hold Federal funding like bead or digital Equity grants hostages freezing this funding ignores the law and harms the tens of millions of Americans who are counting on these programs
▶ 10:49:17to get connected they can't afford to wait and neither can we we are the only oversight that these communities have if we don't ensure affordability in addition to availability we risk creating a two-tier system where only the wealthy can get online with that I call on my Republican colleagues to join us in voting for this Common Sense amendment to protect Broadband affordability and send a clear message that no Administration is Above the Law
▶ 10:49:48with that I yield back my time the G lady yields back and the chair recognized himself for five minutes you know I would probably be frustrated as well if I had voted for bead over two years ago and I don't think one Penny's been dispersed nor one inch of fiber has been laid if you want to talk about uh president Trump's been in office for a few weeks and we're already saying that he's holding up the money the money's been held up for two years for the administration held the money to put restrictions
▶ 10:50:18on the spending of the money that was not in the law so I know that's frustrating but that was previous two years not the last couple of weeks and by having the money there it's going to give us an opportunity we are going to look at this program we're going to make sure the money is going to be spent correctly it's going to be spent according to law and so I can guarantee you there will be oversight of this money hopefully before any penny is spent so uh I will yield back is anybody else Rec the general a from Virginia
▶ 10:50:48I move to strike the last word so part of the reason why the funding hasn't been used and cables haven't been laid is because one of the first steps that had to happen was that states had to do Broadband Maps because most States included um did not have a map of where the unserved and underserved areas were so you can't begin to have a plan for how you're going to roll out Broadband cables
▶ 10:51:18until you know who needs it so that's the first step that took a while because providers uh needed to provide their data in a way that would ensure that it wouldn't be shared with their competitors um and so if we're if we want to look into the reasons why the funding from the IRA isn't immediately putting cables in the ground let's look at that but let's be realistic ISC about it and look at what does
▶ 10:51:48it actually take to go from nothing in the ground to figuring out where you need to go um to provide service to under an unserved areas and I know this because the last job I had before coming here was on how to do exactly that so if we want to look at that let's look at that but let's also look at the full breadth of what needs to Happ happen to ensure that every
▶ 10:52:18American not only has access to broadband but that it's affordable a you back G lady yields back the gentleman from Georg is recognized for five minutes thank you Mr chairman the oversight plan already includes language committing to oversight of broadband programs including the universal service fund and programs related to broadband deployment and adoption including those that were established as part of the infrastructure investment and jobs Act I'll note that we already have an affordability program
▶ 10:52:49the lifeline program within the USF I know that Democrats want to blame Republicans for the end of the affordable connectivity program the co ER era program that was designed to be temporary and end once the pandemic ended I'll also note that as much as Democrats claimed to miss that program they control the Senate and the White House last Congress and couldn't agree on a proposal that could pass I also find it amusing that the Dem Democrats want to ensure compliance with statutory requirements
▶ 10:53:19in the iiga when the Biden Administration blatantly ignored the statute when they unlawfully force states to regulate rates for Broadband plans as part of the be program something the very law prohibits committee Republicans have fought to ensure compliance with that provision for the past two years and continue to do so making sure Broadband is Affordable and accessible is important for Americans to participate in the digital economy and we're open to working on policy policies that promote competition and reduce cost
▶ 10:53:49all of this is covered by our overs our oversight plan so I plan to oppose this amendment gentleman Neils back anyone on the Democratic side seeking recognition seeing none any further on the Republican side if there's no further discussion uh a vote occurs on the amendment a roll call vote has been requested by the gentleman from New Jersey the ranking member and the CL shall call the roow Mr L no Mr L votes no Mr Griffith
▶ 10:54:20Mr Griffith votes no Mr bacus Mr bakus votes no Mr Hudson Mr Hudson votes no Mr Carter of Georgia Mr Carter of Georgia votes no Mr Palmer Mr Palmer votes no Mr Dunn Mr Dunn votes no Mr Crenshaw Mr Joyce Mr Joyce votes no Mr Weber Mr Weber votes no Mr Allen Mr Allen votes no Mr balderson Mr balderson votes no Mr fure Mr fure Mr
▶ 10:54:51fure Mr fure votes no Mr fluger Mr fluger votes no Mrs harburger Mrs harburger votes no Mrs Miller Meeks Mrs Miller Meeks votes no Mrs kamik Mr oberti Mr oberti votes no Mr James Mr James votes no Mr Ben Mr B votes no Mrs hin Mrs hin votes no Mr Fry Mr Fry votes no Miss Lee Miss Lee votes no Mr Langworthy Mr Langworthy votes
▶ 10:55:22no Mr Kane Mr Kane votes no Mr rouy Mr Evans Mr Evans votes no Mr Goldman Mr Goldman votes no Mrs borek Mrs fedorek votes no Mr palone Mr palone votes I miss deette miss deette votes I miss chowski miss chowski votes I miss Matsui Miss Matsui votes I miss caster Miss Caster Miss Caster votes I Mr tonko Mr tonko votes I miss
▶ 10:55:57Clark Mr Ruiz Mr Ruiz votes I Mr Peters Mrs Dingle Mrs Dingle votes I Mr VC Mr VC votes I Miss Kelly Miss Kelly votes I miss baragan miss baragan votes I Mr SoDo Mr SoDo votes I I miss shrier miss shrier votes I Miss Tran Miss Tran votes I miss Fletcher Miss Fletcher votes I miss okasi Cortez Mr oio Cortez votes I Mr aen Claus
▶ 10:56:27Mr aen Claus votes I Mr Carter of Louisiana Mr Menendez Mr Carter of Louisiana votes I Mendez Mr Menendez votes I Mr Mullen Mr lansman yes Mr lansman votes I miss mclen miss mclen votes I chairman Guthrie chairman Guthrie votes no does anyone seing to answer the role s on the rep on the Democrat side who has
▶ 10:56:58Mrs Clark how's how's the lady from New York recorded Miss clerk is not recorded Miss Clark votes I anyone else seeing no one else the clerk will report the result chairman gotth three on that vote there were 22 eyes and 27 NOS the amendment is not agreed to so L Mr Louise
▶ 10:57:28what for what purpose gentleman from California seek recog thank you chairman I have an amendment at the desk gentleman State his Amendment _ 05 the clerk report amendment to O draft oversight plan offered by Mr Ruiz without objection the reading of the amendment is dispensed with and the gentan from California is recognized for 5 minutes and supported the amendment thank you Mr chairman my Amendment states quote the committee will
▶ 10:57:58also conduct oversight on the long-term impact to our national competitiveness with regards to batteries critical minerals and other 21st century Energy Technologies and materials and energy security from the freeze of Grants loans and Loan guarant my Amendment addresses a critical issue that threatens our national competitiveness energy security and economic future the unjustified delays and freezing of federal funds for clean energy projects
▶ 10:58:28particularly those in lithium Valley located in my district located in the sultan sea region lithium Valley holds the largest lithium deposit in the United States and the fifth largest globally offering a historic opportunity to secure America battery energy storage dominance the Trump Administration like the Biden Administration has prioritized domestic critical mineral development to reduce Reliance on foreign adversaries
▶ 10:58:59lithium Valley is Central to this Vision by leveraging its vast lithium reserves to to strengthen domestic supply chain enhance grid scale energy storage and support National Security applications under the current Administration the DOE has emphasized lithium's essential role in America's energy security by making strategic investments in lithium production yet instead of moving Full Speed Ahead we are being stalled by bureaucratic
▶ 10:59:29red tape and funding freezes of their own making that jeopardized the progress we have fought so hard for the loan programs office at the department of energy is designed to invest in Cutting Edge clean energy projects that drive the very American innovation and Industrial growth this Administration say they Desire by freezing the very funds meant to support lithium refining and Battery manufacturing the Trump Administration is undermining
▶ 11:00:00its own goals to compete with China and other Global producers who are rapidly securing their own supplies by freezing These funds president Trump is putting China first in the lithium extraction and Battery Manufacturing uh let me be clear this is not just about my district this is about American Energy dominance every delay in funding means more critical minerals are sourced from adversarial Nations more missed economic
▶ 11:00:30opportunities and a weaken clean energy supply chain if we fail to act now we risk falling behind in one of the most strategic industries of the 2st century we must move swiftly to unfreeze these funds unlock the full potential of our domestic energy resources and secure America's leadership in the global clean energy economy and it is important for this committee to ensure that American energy is dominant in the 21st
▶ 11:01:00century with 21st Century Technologies and clean energy instead of doubling down on the 20th Century Technologies that have produced dirty energy uh production we have to ensure that the US can compete not just in critical minerals but in batteries and other 21st century Energy Technologies this should be easy it should be bipartisan and I urge
▶ 11:01:31all my colleagues to support my amendment I yield back gentleman yields back the gentleman from Ohio is recognized for five minutes thank you Mr chairman uh move strike the last word recogniz thank you Mr chairman the committee in its oversight plan will examine the management and implementation of clean energy and advanced technology Grant loan and Loan guarantee programs the department of energy which include programs related to batteries critical minerals and other 21st century Energy
▶ 11:02:01Technologies this amendment is unnecessary to the underlying oversight plan and undermines the committee's ability to conduct effective oversight distracts from the egregious Federal overreach of the previous administration and weakens our energy security further our oversight plan importantly focuses on how doe loan programs May fund production of clean energy technology in places like communist China which will hurt our national security on the global stage as this
▶ 11:02:32committee knows the Biden Administration sought to spend finite taxpayer Resources with Reckless abandon and were Advanced with little if any opportunity for proper oversight misguided decisions of the previous administration will only emboden our ad Aries like communist China who exploit Global Supply chains for critical minerals materials and Clean Energy Technologies as secretary Wright has publicly discussed under his leadership the department of energy will seek to ensure that all funding mechanisms
▶ 11:03:02will support and Advance our national interests and lower cost for households that continue struggling under energy inflation importantly as part of the executive order to unleash American Energy president Trump director the department of energy conduct a 90-day review of the processes policies and programs in place to disperse taxpayer resources our oversight plan will ensure that this committee can work hand inand with the administration to ensure any federal funding
▶ 11:03:32advances our national interest in American Energy dominance Mr chairman I urge no vote on the amendment and yield back Jim and Neils back Is there further discussion seeing no further discussion if there's no further discussion the vote occurs on the amendment a row call has been requested by the ranking member the clerk will call the row Mr L Mr L votes no Mr Griffith Mr Griffith votes no Mr bacus Mr bakus votes no Mr
▶ 11:04:02Hudson Mr Hudson votes no Mr Carter of Georgia Mr Palmer Mr Palmer votes no Mr Dunn Mr Dunn votes no Mr kensaw Mr Joyce Mr Joyce votes no Mr Weber Mr Weber votes no Mr Allen Mr Allen votes no Mr balderson Mr balderson votes no Mr fure Mr fure votes no Mr fluger Mr fluger votes no Mrs harshbarger Mrs harbarger votes no Mrs Miller
▶ 11:04:33Meeks Mrs kamik Mr oberti Mr oberti votes no Mr James Mr James votes no Mr B Mr B votes no Mrs hin Mrs hin votes no Mr Fry Mr Fry votes no Miss Lee Miss Lee votes no Mr Langworthy Mr Langworthy votes no Mr Kane Mr Kane votes no Mr rouy Mr Evans Mr Evans votes no Mr Goldman Mr Goldman votes no Mrs fedorek
▶ 11:05:03Mrs fedorek votes no Mr palone Mr palone votes I miss deette miss deette votes I miss chowski miss Matsui Miss Matsui votes I miss Caster Miss Caster votes i m Mr tonco Miss Clark Mr Ruiz Mr Ruiz votes I Mr Peters Mrs Dingle Mrs Dingle votes I Mr VC Mr
▶ 11:05:36VC Mr VC votes I Miss Kelly Miss Kelly votes I miss Bagon Miss Bagon votes I Mr SoDo Mr SoDo vot votes I miss shrier miss shrier votes I miss dran miss Fletcher Miss Fletcher votes I miss Ocasio Cortez Miss Ocasio Cortez votes I Mr aen Claus Mr aen Claus votes I Mr Carter of Louisiana Mr Carter of Louisiana votes I
▶ 11:06:06Mendez Mr Mendez votes I Mr Mullen Mr lansman Miss mclen Miss McCullen votes I Guthrie chairman Guthrie votes no Miss kamik U Mr Carter from Georgia Mr Carter of Georgia is not recorded Mr Carter of Georgia votes no Miss kamik Miss kamik is not recorded Miss kamik votes no Mr tonco Mr tonko is not recorded Mr tonko
▶ 11:06:37votes I miss Clark are you recorded Miss Tran Miss Miss oh miss Clark's not Miss Clark how she recorded Miss Clark is not recorded Miss Clark votes I Mr chowski Mr Kowski is not recorded Mr Kowski votes i m Tran Mr Tran is not recorded Mr Han votes i m lansman Mr lansman is not recorded Mr lansman votes I anybody else seeking to answer the roll call seeing none the clerk will
▶ 11:07:14report chairman three on that vote there were 22 eyes and 27 NOS amendment is not agreed to for what purpose does the gentleman from Louisiana seek recognition could you say that again the microphone I'm sorry I have an amendment at the desk H E4 Amendment H4 cler amendment to draft oversight plan he4 without objection
▶ 11:07:44the reading the amendment is to spend with and the general gentleman from Louisiana is recognized for 5 minutes in support of the amendment Mr chairman gun violence is a major public health problem in Louisiana and around the country even though gun deaths decreased for the third consecutive year dropping 12% from 2023 there were more than 16,000 firearm deaths when you account for those that use Firearms to take their own life that number more than doubles gun violence results
▶ 11:08:14in more than 40 ,000 deaths in 2024 in Louisiana 1,153 people died and 3,345 were wounded on average each year the number of school shootings in each of the last four years is more than 107% higher than any year prior to that for the last 25 years in 2024 there were 330 incidents of
▶ 11:08:44schools around the country guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Louisiana and around the country gun violence hurts families communities and our public health workers especially our mental health Workforce which is on the front line to help heal those affected by gun violence I would urge this committee to adopt this amendment because gun violence should be considered
▶ 11:09:14a public Health Emergency and I remind you that our young people are dying at alarming rates all over our country and those bullets don't know party they don't know race our community is depending on us to do something about this and I would urge urge my colleagues to adopt this amendment I you'll back the balance of my time thank you the gentleman yields back the gentleman from Georgia seeks recognition gentleman's
▶ 11:09:44recognized ask to strike the last word recognize Mr Speaker I move to Mr chairman excuse me I move to speak in opposition to the amendment the committee's oversight plan clearly clearly states that the committee will conduct broad oversight of HHS including the CDC to ensure our Public Health agencies are taking actions that address true public health concerns the gentleman's amendment is unnecessary and I urge my colleagues to vote no on the amendment does does a gentleman you
▶ 11:10:16would yield y would you not consider this a real Health that that's why that is why we have oversight over HHS including CDC so I'm sorry the question is would so you don't consider this a Health Challenge no that's not what I said what I said is that we have oversight already in this plan over HHS and CDC which address Public Health I as situations
▶ 11:10:47I just asked you the question do you consider this a health concern do I consider it a health concern yes I'm I'm I don't see the relevance in answering that in the sense that we've got oversight on it and if the majority of this committee considers it to be health issue then certainly we should have we have the ability to look at it people are dying you don't think it's h you don't feel necessary to that that's an easy one I think people are dying all over
▶ 11:11:17our country every day gentlemen it's your time it's reclaiming my time I'll yield to the lady from Iowa thank you representative Carter and thank you Mr chair I don't recall um in all the time I spent four years on the select subcommittee in the coronav virus uh crisis and pandemic uh our colleagues talking about the numbers dying uh from school lockdowns the number of suicides of children uh because they were forced to remain out of school not be with their peers
▶ 11:11:47uh and only have access to the internet and bullying I don't recall anybody talking about that being a public health emergency with that I yield Jim and yeld back I yield back Jim and y's back any further discussion G lady from Florida I I I can't believe you can't at least say Firearms uh that are the leading cause of death among children today is not a public health concern I you back
▶ 11:12:18lady yields back see no further discussion if there's no further discussion the vote occurs on the amendment the gentleman from New Jersey requested a recorded vote the clerk will call the roll Mr L Mr L votes no Mr Griffith Mr Griffith votes no Mr bakus Mr bakus votes no Mr Hudson Mr Hudson votes no Mr Carter of Georgia Mr Carter of Georgia votes no Mr Palmer
▶ 11:12:48Mr Palmer votes no Mr Dunn Mr Dunn votes no Mr crenchaw Mr Joyce Mr Joyce votes no Mr Weber Mr Weber votes no Mr Allen Mr Allen votes no Mr balderson Mr balderson votes no Mr fure Mr fure votes no Mr fluger Mr fluger votes no Mrs harburger Mrs Mrs harburger votes no Mrs Miller Meeks Mrs Miller Meeks votes no M kamik Mr oberti Mr oberti
▶ 11:13:19votes no Mr James Mr James votes no Mr Ben Mr B votes no Mrs hin Mrs hin votes no Mr Fry Mr Fry votes no Miss Lee Miss Lee votes no Mr Langworthy Mr Langworthy votes no Mr Kane Mr Kane votes no Mr rouy Mr Evans Mr Evans votes no Mr Goldman Mr Goldman votes no M Mrs Mrs Fedor votes no Mr palone Mr palone
▶ 11:13:49votes I miss deette miss deette votes I jakowski Mr Kowski Mr Kowski votes I miss Matsui Miss Matsui votes I miss Caster Miss Caster votes I Mr tonko Mr tonko votes I miss Clark Miss Clark votes I Mr Ruiz Mr Ruiz votes I Mr Peter Mrs Dingle Mrs Dingle votes I Mr VC
▶ 11:14:19Mr VC votes I Miss Kelly Miss Kelly votes I miss Bagon Miss beragon votes I Mr SoDo Mr SoDo votes I miss shrier miss Sher Miss Sher votes I Miss Tran M Tran votes I miss Fletcher Miss Fletcher votes i m o Casio Cortez m o Casio Cortez votes I Mr aen Claus Mr aen Claus votes I Mr Carter of Louisiana Mr Carter of Louisiana votes
▶ 11:14:49I Mr Mendez Mr Mendez votes I Mr Mullen Mr lansman Mr lansman votes I miss mclen miss mclen votes I chairman Guthrie chairman Guthrie votes no is anyone can answer the roll call has not see n the clerk will report
▶ 11:15:23result chairman Guthrie on that vote there were 22 eyes and 27 NOS the amendment is not agreed to is anyone seeking was the gentleman of Florida seeking recognition what purpose of gentem Florida seek recognition for an amendment cmt1 16 the clerk will report the amendment amendment
▶ 11:15:53to draft oversight plan cmt1 16 chips and science Staffing without objection the reading the amendment is dispensed with and the gentleman from Florida is recognized for five minutes thank you Mr chairman you know when a lot of us saw headline the other day one of many with Federal staffers being fired this time the 500 it folks from the National Institute of Standards and Technology 500 n staffers including lab directors expected to be fired
▶ 11:16:24canned doged by the Doge disaster and people want to know like how did start well we saw back in 2018 massive Trump tax cuts doubles the deficit sets us on an a path of debt that's now at 36 trillion doll and now that this debt crisis has been passed and here it is we're in a fork in the road a lot of uh people may remember that from this week
▶ 11:16:54we could either do massive tax cuts for the few or health care for the many and so here we are today at the oversight hearing and we could either have an oversight plan or rubber stamp plan and I know that we have a responsibility and no one wants to just rubber stamp all this right and so we passed major legislation the chips act just a few years ago to make sure that we were lowering cost for Americans addressing the The Slowdown during the pandemic
▶ 11:17:24the chip shortage uh and also address inflation which is right now at a six-month high and to help with a manufacturing boom we see a great chips project in Central Florida and Neo City and CMI where we're doing Aerospace and space microchips and we see others Across the Nation Arizona Texas New York Ohio Oregon Idaho and so that's why it doesn't make much sense to fire these 500 n staffers because they're the ones who are supposed to be reviewing all these new microchips that go
▶ 11:17:54to market uh AI development which has been discussed so much cyber security these n delays will hurt both jobs hurt Tech development hurt businesses and raise inflation remember the economy that's what we all promised we were going to do help streamline the government help to lower inflation help to boost manufacturing but this will do the opposite and uh Mr chair it's my birthday today so I'm hoping I have a shot
▶ 11:18:24at this one so please vote for my Pro jobs Pro Innovation inflation reducing amendment I yield back is there any further discussion gentleman from California uh thank you Mr chair uh I'm speaking in opposition of the amendment so this amendment directs the committee to conduct oversight of nist unfortunately oversight of nist is not the jurisdiction of this committee
▶ 11:18:55it's in the jurisdiction of the science space and Technology committee so be appropriate to have this amendment in their oversight plan not in this oversight plan so I urge no vote Jim want withdraw the amendment since it's not in the it was purpose lady from Illinois SE recognition to strike the last word and I'd like to yield my colleague my time I thank the gentle lady from Illinois this
▶ 11:19:25deals directly with Implement implementation of the chips act which is in the subject matter of this committee and if we're going to continue to oversee it you know this committee has fought with space science technology on many occasions including with satellites and other areas to to protect what we deem as ours and the chips Act is one of those plus it was also c-j between both committees so I'd argue that we do have the jurisdiction to oversee it based upon our ability to oversee the chips act and I yield back Is there further
▶ 11:19:55discussion seeing none Mr chairman yeah oh gentle lady from California is recognize thank you Mr chairman I move this Tri to the last word General a recognize Mr chairman I support my colleague from Florida wish him happy birthday Congressman soda's amendment to conduct oversight on the severe drastic Staffing cuts at n and the Department of Commerce as co-author of the original chips act I understand just how critical these agencies work is to maintaining our leadership in chips and and AI
▶ 11:20:25the chips and science Act is working as intended leveraging the $50 billion of government funding to Spur a ninefold Investments of 450 billion from the semiconductor industry yet president Trump has threatened to abandon this historic investment placing hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk and seeding ground to China and other foreign adversaries Trump and his administration are haphazardly purging our federal Workforce and crippling America's ability to innovate and compete
▶ 11:20:55on the global stage I'm proud of the hard bipartisan work we did in crafting the chips act it's critical that we exercise our oversight prerogative and keep the development of worldclass semiconductor industry on track with that I urge my colleagues to vote Yes on this amendment and Y back balance of my time G lady yields back Is there further discussion seeing none uh the vote occurs on the amendment a gentleman from New Jersey requested a roll call vote and the clerk will call
▶ 11:21:28row Mr L Mr L votes no Mr Griffith Mr Griffith votes no Mr bacus Mr bacus votes no Mr Hudson Mr Hudson votes no Mr Carter of Georgia Mr Carter of Georgia votes no Mr Palmer m Mr Palmer votes no Mr Dunn Mr Dunn votes no Mr khaw Mr Joyce Mr Joyce votes no Mr Weber Mr Weber votes no Mr Allen Mr Allen votes no Mr balderson Mr
▶ 11:21:58balderson votes no Mr fure Mr fure votes no Mr fluger Mr fluger votes no Mrs harburger Mrs harburger votes no Mrs Meeks Mrs Miller Meeks votes no Mrs Mr oberti Mr oberti votes no Mr James Mr James votes no Mr B Mr B votes no Mrs hin Mrs hin votes no Mr Fry Mr Fry votes no Miss Lee Miss
▶ 11:22:28Lee votes no Mr Langworthy Mr Langworthy votes no Mr Kane Mr Kane votes no Mr ruy Mr Ry votes no Mr Evans Mr Evans votes no Mr Goldman Mr Goldman votes no Mrs fedorek Mrs Fedor votes no Mr palone Mr palone Mr palone votes I miss deette miss deette votes I miss chowski miss chowski votes I miss Matsui
▶ 11:22:59Miss Matsui votes I miss Caster Miss Caster votes I tonko Mr tonko Mr tonko votes I miss Clark Miss Clark votes I Mr Ruiz I Mr Ruiz votes votes I Mr Peters Mrs Dingle Mrs Dingle votes I Mr VC Mr VC votes I Miss Kelly Miss Kelly Miss Kelly votes I miss Bagon Miss Bagon votes I
▶ 11:23:29Mr SoDo Mr stto votes I miss Trier M Trier votes I Miss Tran M Tran votes I miss Fletcher Miss Fletcher votes I miss Ocasio Cortez Miss oaso Cortez votes I Mr aen Claus Mr aen Claus votes I Mr Carter of Louisiana Mr Carter of Louisiana votes I Mr Menendez Mr Mendez votes I Mr Mullen Mr lansman Mr lansman votes I miss McCullen
▶ 11:24:00Miss mclen votes I chairman Guthrie no chairman Guthrie votes no is anyone seeking to answer the row see no one see no further people presenting to answer the row the clerk will report the result chairman Guthrie on that vote there were 22 eyes and 28 nose the amendment is not agreed to what gentle the gentle lady
▶ 11:24:30from Illinois what purpose do you seek recognition I have an amendment at the desk what number do you have the amendment number cmt3 okay the clerk report amendment to draft oversight plan cmt3 Tech accountability without objection the reading of the amendment is dispensed with and the general lady is recognized for five minutes in support of her Amendment thank you Mr chair my Amendment cmt3
▶ 11:25:00aims to specify the need for the committee to conduct R rigorous oversight over social media big Tech and e-commerce companies that lack meaningful safeguards for their users often leaving their users susceptible to fr fraud misinformation and extremism unfortunately we know that the proliferation of Fraud and scams disproportionately targets and impacts members of the armed services and veterans in addition to seniors who are the most vulnerable of our population the uptick
▶ 11:25:31and fraudsters and scammers cannot be taken lightly particularly because it is estimated that impersonation scams cost consumers more than a billion dollars over the course of just last year to make matters worse malicious actors are already using artificial intelligence to increase the scale and sophistication of existing scams which underscores the importance of the FTC as an agile and robust law enforcement agency this appointing Le project
▶ 11:26:012025 El limits law enforcement work at independent agencies like the FTC even goes so far as to question whether the FDC should exist at all we must reject this premise and ensure the f FTC and other independent agencies are empowered and have the necessary tools and resources to continue combating scams through initiatives like operation stop scam calls which returned almost $400 million to victims of Robo scams the impact on consumers
▶ 11:26:31particularly senior citizens and other vulnerable communities is far too consequential the FTC is significantly weakened in corporations and fraudsters are allowed to operate in unfair and deceptive ways without fear of prosecution further in the past two congresses numerous Witnesses test testify before this committee about the harm caused by social media and other big tech companies particularly as it relates to the mental and physical health of our children and teens
▶ 11:27:02I like many of my colleagues on this committee find this very concerning as Elon mus has been empowered to invade the privacy of millions of Americans we cannot stand by and allow social social media big Tech and e-commerce companies to go unchecked we must conduct rigorous oversight in their social media big Tech and e-commerce companies about how they collect and use personal information about their advertising practices and about how their apps affect children and teens the risk is too grave
▶ 11:27:32at a time we have yet to pass a federal comprehensive privacy bill that would give Americans the ability to enforce their data privacy rights hold companies accountable for not doing enough to protect their data and directly address children's online privacy in the youth Mental Health crisis while I commend the work that was done last Congress our work is not finished my Amendment cmt3 will help ensure that our work is continued and that social media big Tech and Ecommerce companies cannot steamroll
▶ 11:28:02Americans privacy rights for these reasons I urge all my colleagues to support my Amendment thank you and I yell back G lady yels back to gentleman from Florida is recognized thank you Mr chairman I moved to strike the last word the proposed amendment is unnecessary in my opinion the plan already commits the Committees to robust oversight over social media and e-commerce platforms including issues related to fraud crimal criminal activities and and negative impacts on children moreover
▶ 11:28:32I'm concerned that the proposal would have the committee focus on censoring the so-called quote unquote misinformation which may be just speech uh my colleague doesn't like we support the First Amendment and will continue our efforts to ensure that all American voices are heard and not controlled by powerful Tech Giants so I will tell you uh that I believe we covered it very well uh Miss Kelly uh in this particular language the oversight language
▶ 11:29:02that we prepared so uh with that I yeld back I urge my colleagues to vote no and I yeld back gentleman yelds back the gentlem from Massachusetts is recognized thank you Mr chair I move to strike the last word uh we support the First Amendment as well strongly uh contrarian opinions welcome it's how we have strong civil discourse the question is the effects of section 230 on the social media corporations this law drafted in the 1990s which has granted
▶ 11:29:32them immunity from any liability for user generated content and now with AI Incorporated on their platforms we are left with a situation where 98% of online deep fake videos are graphic content non-consensually targeting women and these platforms have zero liability for it the CEOs don't care the boards don't care they're making $600 billion dollar globally in digital advertising
▶ 11:30:03Revenue which is the valuation of all the attention fracking they've done on American and Global youth much the detriment of their mental health and soci emotional well-being I wish I had more confidence that this president was serious about oversight of the social media corporations but for his inaugural address he invited 12 trillion worth of market capitalization to sit in front of his own cabinet uh and refused to enforce the bipartisan law requiring divestment of Tik Tock from bite dance that
▶ 11:30:33this committee voted for including everybody on the other side of the aisle the administration is flouting the law and telling republicans in Congress who voted to require Tik Tok to be divested from bite dance that they don't care about your opinion and they don't care about the law we need to be doing oversight over the social media corporations because this President clearly refuses to do so he is much more interested in issuing meme coins that foreign adversaries including the executive team of Tik
▶ 11:31:03Tok are able to buy in secret and use as leverage over him in any decisions he makes about what company ends up owning this most important media and entertainment platform in the world so since the administration ain't going to do the job I think this committee should and I yield back gentlemen us back is there yields back any further discussion gentleman from California recognize Mr chair moved to stri of the word uh Mr chairman this amendment deletes
▶ 11:31:33the line from our oversight plan that says the committee will continue to review the manner in which fraud and other criminal activities affect e-commerce and then replaces it with with the committee will conduct oversight into house social media and e-commerce companies are affecting Interstate Commerce in other words it Narrows the scope of what we're conducting oversight on to just social media companies and I think that that's a big mistake I was honored to chair the bipartisan AI task force last year and one of our biggest concerns
▶ 11:32:04with the malicious use of AI is the way that it can be used to steal people's money and uh in cyber fraud uh in fact we devoted a whole chapter of our task force report report to that to exclude that from the scope of our oversight would be very unwise and I'm assuming that that was a just a drafting here uh which I guess can happen when you're drafting 120 of these but uh I I I think this is something that no one ought to support uh on the either side of the Island I urg no vote I'll you back
▶ 11:32:34Jim andel's back is no if no discussion the vote occurs on the amendment the gentleman from New Jersey requested a roll call vote the CH clerk will call the row Mr L Mr L votes no Mr Griffith Mr Griffith votes no Mr bakus Mr bakus votes no Mr Hudson Mr Hudson votes no Mr Carter of Georgia Mr Carter of Georgia votes no Mr Palmer Mr Palmer
▶ 11:33:04votes no Mr Dunn Mr Dunn votes no Mr Crenshaw Mr Joyce Mr Joyce votes no Mr Mr Weber votes no Mr Allen Mr Allen votes no Mr balderson Mr balderson votes no Mr fure Mr fure votes no Mr fluger Mr fluger Mr fluger votes no Mrs harshbarger Mrs harburger votes no Mrs Miller Meeks Mrs Miller Meeks votes no Mrs
▶ 11:33:34kamik Mr oberti Mr oberol votes no Mr James Mr James votes no Mr B Mr B votes no no Mrs hin Mrs hin votes no Mr Fry Miss Lee Miss Lee votes no Mr Langworthy Mr Langworthy votes no Mr Kane Mr Kane votes no Mr rouy Mr ruy votes no Mr Evans Mr Evans votes no Mr Goldman Mr Goldman votes no
▶ 11:34:04Mrs fedorek Mrs fedorek votes no Mr palone Mr palone votes I miss deette miss deette votes I Kowski Mr Kowski Mr Kowski votes I miss miss Matsui Miss Matsui votes I miss Caster Miss Caster votes I Mr tonko Mr tonko votes I miss Clark
▶ 11:34:35Miss Clark votes I Mr Ruiz Mr Ruiz votes I Mr Peters Mrs Dingle Mr VC Mr VC votes I Miss Kelly Miss Kelly votes I miss Bagon Miss Bagon votes I Mr SoDo Mr SoDo votes I miss Sher Miss Sher votes I Mr Tran mran votes I miss Fletcher Miss Fletcher votes I miss Ocasio Cortez Miss
▶ 11:35:05Ocasio Cortez votes I Mr aen Claus Mr aen Claus votes I Mr Carter of Louisiana Mr Carter of Louisiana votes I Mr Menendez Mr Menendez votes I Mr Mullen Mr lansman Mr lansman votes I miss mclen miss mcclelen votes I chairman Guthrie chairman Guthrie votes no how is uh Miss kamik recorded Miss kamik was not
▶ 11:35:36recorded Mrs cic votes no is there anyone else who wish to be the clerk will report the result chairman Joyce on that vote there were 21 eyes and 28 NOS the amendment is not agreed to are there any further amendments
▶ 11:36:06yes for what purpose does Miss mclan seek recognition um Mr CH have an amendment at the desk label clerk will report the Amendment label 6 underscore censorship could you could you repeat that please it's cat 6core censorship the clerk will report the amendment amendment to trft oversight
▶ 11:36:37Plan cat 6 censorship thank you Mr chair this amendment uh allows us to show our commitment to the first amendment by ensure that the committee remains just as committed to investigating any instances of censorship by the FCC as it is concerned with finding waste Fraud and Abuse within the federal government because weaponizing this independent agency against the news media to settle the scores of the president
▶ 11:37:07is the epitome of abuse and a threat to First Amendment freedoms of speech and the Press in just over a month the Trump Administration has taken unprecedented steps to use the FCC as a pawn in misguided and partisan attacks on broadcast networks and diversity equity and inclusion under chairman Carr's leadership the FCC has exceeded its authority to undermine press Freedom by Reviving rightfully dismissed cases against ABC CBS and NBC
▶ 11:37:37without new evidence targeting public broadcasters with baseless allegations threatening to Rev broadcast licenses based on the content of the newscast launching investigations into local radio stations for daring to report on Ice activity in their local community threatening an investigation into the business decisions of a private company to enforce to support diversity equity and inclusion initiatives these actions are not only an abuse of power they are in a front
▶ 11:38:07to the First Amendment and they also fall well outside of the F fcc's jurisdiction and directly violate the communications act which explicitly prohibits the FCC from censoring broadcast material or interfering with free expression these censorship efforts will impact local stations and local communities which are the ones that actually hold the FCC license and local broadcast stations are critical resources for seniors veterans and countless Americans who rely
▶ 11:38:37on them in life saving emergency situations local news and community engagement and any effort to intimidate these entities into doing anything other than reporting the news as they see it is an overreach for the FCC what's worse chairman Carr takes these actions against some of the same entities that President Trump is suing as a private citizen as we know here in this committee the FCC isn't in the executive branch it's not
▶ 11:39:08supposed to do the bidding of the president it's an independent agency that answers to hence its inclusion in the oversight plan that we're considering today and I just heard my Republican colleagues say they feel strongly about ensuring protection of the First Amendment rights I know they feel strongly about ensuring government agencies don't overstep their constitutional Authority I've heard them in the past lament threats to local broadcasting rail against government sensorship
▶ 11:39:38Express outrage over the idea that the federal government could interfere in a private B entity's decisions yet here we have all of the above with the Trump Administration and how it approaches the FCC in Virginia we have the Declaration of Rights on the wall in the general assembly in which it says freedom of the press is one of the greatest ball works of Liberty and can never be restrained but by despotic governments
▶ 11:40:09that was written by George Mason Thomas Jefferson said our Liberty depends on the freedom of the press and that cannot be limited without being lost essentially our founding fathers thought that a free press acts as a vital Safeguard against government overreach and is crucial for an informed citizenry in a democracy so this amendment will affirm that commitment by explicitly stating that this commission this committee will vigorously investigate any instance
▶ 11:40:39in which the FCC any of its officers employees or agents engage in or facilitate censorship that includes any attempt to directly or indirectly influence suppress or alter the content or expressive conduct of private entities in the way that violates the Constitution and so I urge my colleagues to support one of the core tenants of our democracy a fundamental Liberty enshrined in the Constitution as the first amendment the right
▶ 11:41:09to free speech and the right to Free Press I urge support report for this amendment so that we know there will be no weaponization of a federal agency regulating broadcast uh entities being weaponized to control or suppress speech thank you I yield back the Gent lady yields the chair recognizes as a gentleman from North Carolina Mr Hudson I thank the chair and I have to tell you it's it's invigorating this new emphasis on oversight and I'm just glad
▶ 11:41:39we've got this enthusiasm on both sides of the aisle unfortunately this particular amendment is redundant this oversight plan maintains this committee's oversight over the FCC which is the primary regulator for the broadcast industry Energy and Commerce Republicans support the First Amendment the spirit of democracy requires the that Americans should be able to express their opinions freely and the first amendment allows them to do so we fundamentally disagree with censorship of views with which we disagree or alternatively with dismissing
▶ 11:42:10such views as misinformation it's especially concerning when you consider who gets to be the authority determining what constitutes misinformation unfortunately the Biden administration had a terrifying record of coercing big tech companies uh to silence conservative voices or remove so-called misinformation which was mostly just content they didn't like for example the last Administration coerced big Tech platforms to label all content suggesting that covid-19 potentially originated in a lab
▶ 11:42:40and subsequently leaked as misinformation information and suppressed such posts many federal agencies now believe this theory is at plausible but for the intervening months such discourse was not permitted on any social media platforms on this issue and many others we believe in allowing people to exchange ideas and have open discourse this is fundamental to democracy our constituents can form their own opinions and determine what makes sense for them and their families we believe that the decision by some platforms
▶ 11:43:11to leave more content online is the right approach we will continue to monitor how companies choose to moderate content and censor American speech we support the First Amendment and will continue our efforts to ensure that all Americans voices are heard and not controlled by powerful Tech behemoths I oppose this amendment and urge my colleagues to oppose it as well and with that Mr chairman I yield back the gentleman yields the chair recognizes the Gent lady from California Miss matui thank you Mr chairman I move to strike the last word
▶ 11:43:41and speak in support of this amendment we hear Republicans say they want to defend the First Amendment yet the Trump Administration is held bent on censoring dissent and bullying our media into being its mouthpiece president Trump's own media biases have been clear for a long time he likes a news Outlet he can control and he hates when people look for the truth Trump is weaponizing the FCC to intimidate and silence broadcast media by initiating
▶ 11:44:11suspect investigations often under dubious Authority into news outlets that dare to challenge Trump's Viewpoint I'm especially alarmed by the attacks on our public media I hear from my constituents on the phone and at Town Halls about how terrified they are at the thought of losing their beloved PBS and NPR stations PBS and NPR have for decades provided people with free community supported access to local news educational program programming
▶ 11:44:41and life-saving emergency alerts unlike privately owned media these Outlets are not beholden to stakeholders government or private 82% of Voters including 72% of trump voters value PBS for his children's programming and Educational Tools defending public media from censorship should be a bipartisan goal we cannot allow Trump's FCC to run rough shod over the First Amendment and Bully our media with baseless
▶ 11:45:12attacks with that I yield the balance of my time the gentle lady yields the chair recognizes a gentleman from Texas Mr fluger thank you uh Mr chairman um I want to ask Miss mclen a question I think this is very interesting and I actually I I I think this is going to be a bipartisan thing that this committee does is try to get it right when it comes to um censoring and you know the just how big how the the tech companies
▶ 11:45:42and social media companies come in so what what I wanted to specifically ask is last year would you have supported would this amendment have supported and would you have led efforts on an investigation into ABC the 60 Minutes interview Mr chair I would answer that what this amendment focuses on is the fcc's effort yeah to bully and intimidate the Press
▶ 11:46:12was what this is getting at is looking you know the FCC can investigate whatever it wants sure and they will when I'm not finished well this is my time okay fine you asked me a question do you want to answer would you would you support that kind of an investigation from this from this oversight committee into the ABC's 60 interview I would not support any effort to investigate based on
▶ 11:46:43the content of speech that does not violate the First Amendment because I believe doing so engages in censorship I believe doing so infringes on freedom of the press so no that particular interview I would support an investigation into whether an entity violated the First Amendment okay well very good uh I'm proud that
▶ 11:47:13uh Mr Carr is looking into these things and believe that all of us you know here have a role to play when it comes to making sure that our media can have the the ability to report and it's not just the 60 Minutes interview that that I believe he's probably looking into it's the it's the debate the CBS debate and a few other things um and First Amendment I think extends into
▶ 11:47:43this this world of suppression and if we remember there was uh the the homeland security committee under mayorcas came up with um you know this fact Checker mechanism that they were going to check all of the uh the facts and this misinformation disinformation board um and I'm interested to know your your thoughts on that as well uh on on mayorcas proposal uh for a
▶ 11:48:14disinformation board Mr chair there is a big between investigating whether someone engaged in free speech is misleading people and providing an answer to that misinformation that is not the same thing as infringing on their free speech that is not the same
▶ 11:48:44as infringing on freedom of the press and so if any federal government entity crosses the line intimidating or punishing the press for the content of what they choose to report other than something that the Supreme Court has said clearly violates
▶ 11:49:15the F the First Amendment or or is not protected speech by the First Amendment did that apply to the Twitter files as well I don't know the FBI intimidating Twitter and telling them that they could not that they could not uh say certain things well Twitter is not Speech Twitter is a platform okay Twitter is but the FBI the FBI by Biden Administration FBI telling Twitter not
▶ 11:49:45to produce certain certain tweets didn't violate the First Twitter as I first of all as I understand what the FBI did yeah it was not to compel Twitter to engage in or not engage in I think it was actually intimidation which which I know where you stand on that but um well Mr chair thank you
▶ 11:50:15I think it's going to be a great discussion for us on this committee I yield back the gentleman yields the chair recognizes a gentleman from Ohio Mr lansman Mr chair i' like to strike the last sentence and speak on this amendment the so recognized what folks are tired of and this is across the board is the political retribution the the the weaponizing of government and what Miss mullen's Amendment does is to say
▶ 11:50:45to to that this committee is going to provide strong oversight as it relates to any attempt to continue this weaponization of government against political enemies the the the the retribution in American politics has to end I would like to yield the balance of my time to miss mlen thank you Mr chair or Mr lansman um
▶ 11:51:16first of all I didn't hear anything from the other side of the aisle and their profess of how much they care about the First Amendment about freedom of the press and that's what I'm talking about and we can get into a debate about whether Twitter is a platform or speech but the point is you have a president FCC and probably
▶ 11:51:46other government entities in the future who are going to ABC or other members of the press to keep them from criticizing the president or punish them for criticizing president and that is exactly what the founders argue ued against in a free
▶ 11:52:16America what the purpose of freedom of speech is you can criticize your government and if your government punishes you for it that is the first step to tyranny and that is what I see happening right now when you threaten to take someone's license away because they published information critical of you
▶ 11:52:46that is a violation of the First Amendment and that is something that we should look at as part of our oversight responsibilities just as much as the waste Frau and abuse that you all want to look at I invite you I see all of you with your confused looks on your face I invite you to read The Federalist Papers on the first first amendment I invite you to read George Mason's
▶ 11:53:17writings on the importance of freedom of the press I invite you to read Thomas Jefferson's profess Ms on the importance of the freedom of the press you will understand why I am very concerned at an FCC at a president at a pentagon that says I'm going to punish you because you say things about me I don't like I yield back General lady yields the chair recognizes a G lady from Florida Miss kamik I you back for the for the record
▶ 11:53:47wonderful thank you Mr chairman um and thank you again to our colleagues for a robust debate for the last 12 hours today um Mr chairman I move to strike the last word and let's just start with I believe my colleague from Virginia is either confused because she is certainly contradicting herself um in answering representative Luger's comments she said that she wasn't talking specifically about Twitter she was talking
▶ 11:54:18about entities that would fall under the jurisdiction of the FCC yet here in your own Amendment it says explicitly the committee will conduct oversight into how social media and other big technology and e-commerce companies are affecting interstate commerce etc etc goes along so you express that's not my Amendment Mr chair which amendment are we on them
▶ 11:54:48oh you guys just have given us so much you've given us oh this that's you're good okay well since we're on this then