▶ 0:17:03Chair Cassidy: The senate committee will please come to order. Secretary kennedy, thank you for coming before the committee. I've been traveling a lot. Affordability, gas, groceries, top of mind. When patients speak to me about how expensive prescription drugs are, it resonates with them when I say wait a minute, there are middlemen jacking up the price for profitability.
▶ 0:17:33Chair Cassidy: My constituents need help. I will go back to my experience practicing medicine. If the patient has the power, not an excuse for the bill, then prices tend to come down. The question is how do we achieve them? I believe the president must focus on this and I believe you believe this is well so I look forward to hearing how this administration's proposed budget puts the patent in charge.
▶ 0:18:03Chair Cassidy: There are some common sense things we can do. How do we get drugs to patients faster and cheaper? The health committee -- to help committee held a hearing on increasing access to generic drugs which costs less and allow patients to keep more money in their pockets while still having access to the medicines they need. Another thing that can lower costs is getting new drugs onto market more regularly.
▶ 0:18:29Chair Cassidy: I released a report as to how we ought to do that, faster treatments, lowering r&d costs that contribute to prices while maintaining the gold standard for safety and effectiveness. Many of the ideas discussed in my -- this was at the hearing last week, both new treatments in generics were increased -- included in policies that the administration has proposed in this year's budget and this is something we can work on together.
▶ 0:18:56Chair Cassidy: There are other ways to make health insurance and health care more affordable. Last week I released the m.v.p. Agenda. Money and value for patients. To build upon president trump's efforts to get money to patients rather than insurance companies to use for their out-of-pocket costs. If paired with price transparency, the patient can shop for the most affordable health care, eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy.
▶ 0:19:28Chair Cassidy: That price transparency is a bipartisan bill by members of this committee. When we speak of affordability, let's recognize that if we don't come up with treatments and cures for things like alzheimer's and dementia and cancer, the boomer generation could bankrupt our country for the cost of care of these conditions. The way to address that is to invest heavily in science, and to use that investment effectively.
▶ 0:19:57Chair Cassidy: I would argue that includes taking the resources and making them more accessible to researchers at a wide variety of universities, so it is collective brainpower across our nation and not just at a few concentrated institutions or cities. I credit Dr. botta chara for understanding these issues. Lastly, standing up for patients includes standing up for the most vulnerable.
▶ 0:20:29Chair Cassidy: Protecting women from the dangers of chemical abortion drugs is a step we can take right now to protect life. Frankly many pro-life unions have been disappointed by the lack of action on this front. We need a willing partner to stand up for life. Mr. secretary you have said that every abortion is a tragedy. I would say it is time to stop stalling on the safety study for abortion drugs. It is time to reinstate the in person safeguards protecting women from abuse and coercion.
▶ 0:21:02Chair Cassidy: I will note there are criminal charges against a woman -- mother in louisiana and boyfriends coercing or tricking a pregnant person into taking these pills. All this would be limited with the restoration of the in person requirement. This is public record. The young victim was --. There is prosecution.
▶ 0:21:33Chair Cassidy: If there was an in person requirement reinstated by this administration, the doctor would have said do you want this pill and she would say no. Instead she was coerced and that is to the tragedy that has resulted. There is so much this committee and the administration can accomplish. People in louisiana are struggling, they expect congress and the administration to do our part as they do their part. Let's meet at the moment. Thank you again Mr.
▶ 0:22:02Chair Cassidy: Secretary for coming to discuss the proposed budget. With that I recognize senator sanders for his opening statement.
▶ 0:22:10Ranking Member Sanders: Thank you very much Mr. chairman, good to see you secretary kennedy. Let me respond to the chairman. A strong majority of the american people leave it is women who have the right to control their own lives, not government. I happen to believe that is where we should be going as a nation stop it is a choice of women, not the government.
▶ 0:22:40Ranking Member Sanders: It is no secret that the american health care system is broken. Every place I go, I asked people to raise their hands. Conservative areas, progressive areas. People understand there is something fundamentally wrong when we are spending twice as much per capita on health care as much as -- as much per capita on health care as any other nation. Our life expectancy is significantly lower than other wealthy nations.
▶ 0:23:11Ranking Member Sanders: And for working class people it is six years a shorter than the wealthy in this country. The system is broken and and designed to make insurance companies and drug companies extremely wealthy. That is what is happening. Ordinary people are being left behind.
▶ 0:23:32Ranking Member Sanders: I would have hoped that we would have administration that would stand up for average people and say let's do what every other country on earth does, guarantee health care. Every other country on earth does it and they spend substantially less than we do. Yet we are moving in the opposite direction, as a result of the quote, big bill. 15 million americans have been thrown off health care.
▶ 0:24:01Ranking Member Sanders: That is not the only problem we have with what secretary kennedy and the president are doing. I talk to doctors as I'm sure everyone on this committee does, and my own state of vermont and all over the country and doctors are extremely concerned by many of the actions that we are seeing from hhs and the cdc.
▶ 0:24:23Ranking Member Sanders: They are concerned that secretary kennedy has directed the centers of disease control to publish false information on its website suggesting childhood vaccines cause autism, despite the findings of more than 40 scientific studies in seven countries that there is no link between vaccines and autism.
▶ 0:24:47Ranking Member Sanders: We have seen hhs spread misinformation about the safety and effectiveness of the measles vaccine, during the largest measles outbreak in the united states in over 30 years. We've seen hhs remove the director of the cdc because she refused to rubberstamp the very dangerous and unsubstantiated vaccine recommendations coming from the agency.
▶ 0:25:14Ranking Member Sanders: We've seen the agency defund promising vaccine research, that will leave us woefully unprepared. Mr. chairman, a couple years ago we had leading experts in this country and ask them, do you anticipate another pandemic? The answer was unanimously yes. No one knows when, but another pandemic will come. We are now woefully unprepared to address that crisis if and when it comes.
▶ 0:25:45Ranking Member Sanders: We have seen cdc and hhs under secretary kennedy, 3800 people in america have been infected with measles. The worst outbreak in over 30 years. Vaccination rates across the country are falling because parents are very confused about what they are hearing from washington. Children are dying as a result.
▶ 0:26:10Ranking Member Sanders: So right now we are looking at a health care system which is broken and we have leadership in washington which is making it even worse. What I will chat with you about when I have my questions is, things you have written which call into doubt the very existence of the basis of modern medicine. Let's talk about that in a minute.
▶ 0:26:40Ranking Member Sanders: The bottom line is what we would like to see is a broken health care system improved. Most of us believe health care is a human right, that all people should have health care. We need public health policies to keep our kids and elderly healthy.
▶ 0:27:01Chair Cassidy: Thank you. We are joined today by robert f. Kennedy, jr., 26 secretary of health and human services. In his role, Mr. kennedy is responsible for overseeing the nation's civilian federal health agencies which support direct services for over 100 50 million americans and keep all americans safe by supporting sound science and through the regulation of medical products. I look forward to hearing from you today and thank you for joining us.
▶ 0:27:36Sec. Kennedy: Can you hear me? Ok. Chairman cassidy, ranking member sanders and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today, to talk about the president's 2027 budget for hhs. We stand at a generational turning point. Our children are the sickest in modern history. Decades of failed policies, captured agencies and profit driven systems caused it.
▶ 0:28:09Sec. Kennedy: Parents across the country demanded change and we are delivering it. We are ending the era of federal policies that fueled this epidemic and replacing them with policies that put the health of americans first. President trump and I are challenging the status quo and the institutions that defend it as we work to make america healthy again. In just 15 months, hhs has delivered historic wins.
▶ 0:28:39Sec. Kennedy: We negotiated most favored nation drug prices with 16 of the largest drug companies so americans no longer pay more than other people in wealthy countries for the same medications. We are bringing real transparency to health care pricing so that patients know the cost of care before they receive it.
▶ 0:28:58Sec. Kennedy: I have used the full power of the federal government to bring health insurance ceos to the table, to reform prior authorization and I convened 405 biggest tech companies in our country to end information blocking and allow american patients access to their health records in there -- on their cell phones for the first time in history. We are cutting red tape, speeding decisions and demanding transparency.
▶ 0:29:27Sec. Kennedy: We are also cracking down on waste, fraud and abuse. This year hhs and usda issued new dietary guidelines that put real whole food at the center of the american plate. We flipped the food pyramid upside down to send a clear message to americans to eat real food.
▶ 0:29:47Sec. Kennedy: Hhs has also opened the door to partnerships with industry, associations, nonprofits and advocacy groups. More than 50 medical schools have committed to expanding nutritional education from an average of two hours to 40 hours. Food manufacturers are stepping up.
▶ 0:30:12Sec. Kennedy: Food industry has committed to phasing out petroleum-based dyes by years end. Through president trump's great american recovery initiative, hhs is matching compassion with action to help americans break the cycle of addiction.
▶ 0:30:36Sec. Kennedy: At hhs we are prioritizing patients with ultra rare diseases and their families, driving faster access to lifesaving treatments. Restoring gold standard science and integrity across the agency. We are protecting children from procedures that expose them to irreversible harm. We are eliminating outdated and misleading warning labels on therapies used to treat women during menopause.
▶ 0:31:09Sec. Kennedy: We are strengthening oversight of procurement and implementing operation warp speed to ensure the safety and quality of infant formula. We are applying that same focus to rural america. The rural health transformation fund delivers the largest investment in rural health in our nations history. $50 billion over five years to strengthen rural hospitals and ensure americans get access to care they need no matter where they live.
▶ 0:31:41Sec. Kennedy: Hhs announced more than $135 million in investment this month to expand rural residency programs and nutritional services. The data is clear, when physicians trained in rural communities, they are far more likely to stay and serve there. The president's budget puts all of these priorities into action and preventing diseases costs less, delivers better outcomes than treating it.
▶ 0:32:13Sec. Kennedy: As president kennedy once said, progress is a nice word but change is its motivator and change has enemies. We see those words as clearly entrenched in defenders of a failing status quo and institutions that put profits ahead of the american people. That resistance underscores the urgency of this moment. We can reverse chronic disease, improve public health and have lower costs.
▶ 0:32:41Sec. Kennedy: I stand ready to work with this committee and congress to seize this opportunity and implement and codify lasting generational reforms in american health care. For our country, for our children and for the american people. Together we can make america healthy again, thank you.
▶ 0:33:00Chair Cassidy: Thank you Mr. secretary. We've had a couple of these recently and you are right on time. Mr. secretary, as I mentioned in my opening statements, I'm concerned that one of the biden administration's pro-abortion policy, the removal of the in person dispensing requirement for chemical abortion drugs is still -- and by the way senator sanders objected to me objecting to that.
▶ 0:33:30Chair Cassidy: We are speaking about people ordering drugs and then tricking a woman into taking them or coercing them into taking it. These are subject to criminal charges, in courts right now. We should all be opposed to that. Why aren't we acting with more urgency in reinstating the in person dispensing requirement?
▶ 0:33:56Sec. Kennedy: I appreciate your comments. Unfortunately I will not be able to talk about that.
▶ 0:34:03Chair Cassidy: I thought that might be the answer which is frustrating because this has been litigated for years. I thought that might happen so moving off the litigation, last month my colleagues and I asked you to address unapproved and misbranded chemical abortion drugs coming from international providers, bypassing fda. The first trump administration worked on the issue but the problem continues.
▶ 0:34:31Chair Cassidy: Why hasn't the department taken steps to stop the illegal importation and sale of counterfeit and unapproved abortion drugs?
▶ 0:34:39Sec. Kennedy: We take our responsibilities seriously, to prosecute people who are selling misbranded drugs. I can talk to the enforcement unit to figure out why that is not happening to your satisfaction. As far as I know we are doing that to the utmost possible.
▶ 0:35:05Chair Cassidy: That is not the case. Maybe as much as possible but that would be no effort whatsoever. I say that because however you feel about the issues, illegal and counterfeit drugs being sold and imported should be a common concern. Mr. secretary you have talked about restoring trust in the agency around the issue of immunization.
▶ 0:35:29Chair Cassidy: People lost trust during the pandemic, but I think it is safe to say the trust gap has worsened over the last year due to false statements about safety and efficacy of vaccines for preventable diseases like measles. I am a guy who has seen people die through pranks -- from vaccine preventable diseases.
▶ 0:35:57Chair Cassidy: When I see outbreaks in the thousands and people dying once more from vaccine preventable diseases I'm children, it seems more than tragic. The cdc director, I applaud. You said in a previous hearing that you were not involved in her selection but you agree with president trump's selection. I have not met with her formally but she seems to be a qualified person.
▶ 0:36:19Sec. Kennedy: I did not say I was not involved in her selection.
▶ 0:36:25Chair Cassidy: My question with the new cdc director, whomever they are, they are currently political appointees at cdc who have worked to undermine trust.
▶ 0:36:41Chair Cassidy: Will the new director have the right to make decisions independently of those political appointees or otherwise reassign them so that they cannot continue to actively undermine trust?
▶ 0:36:56Sec. Kennedy: Your characterization of the political appointees is wrong. The cdc director has that power.
▶ 0:37:05Chair Cassidy: So she if she wishes to make a decision independently of them, she shall be allowed to make that decision independently? That's correct?
▶ 0:37:17Sec. Kennedy: Yes.
▶ 0:37:18Chair Cassidy: It is pertinent. This summer we are hosting the world cup and celebrating america's two hundred 50th birthday. Tourists from all over the world will come to the united states. Unfortunately some of them will bring vaccine preventable diseases like measles and our measles immunization rates have fallen which means this increases the risk of an outbreak in the U.S.. What steps is the hhs taking to -- and the folks coming here?
▶ 0:37:50Sec. Kennedy: We've done better at controlling the measles outbreak than any country in the world. It is a global outbreak that started before I came to office. 80% of the children affected are over five years old which means their decision not to vaccinate predated my appointment. We limited that 2200 cases last year.
▶ 0:38:16Sec. Kennedy: Mexico had three times that much with one third of our population and canada had double that with 1/8 of our population. Europe had 127,000 cases the year before. We have a global pandemic. It has nothing to do with me. I was not in any of those countries. We have done a better job at limiting it than any country in the world. You can talk to governor mcmaster and governor abbott about that.
▶ 0:38:48Sec. Kennedy: We know how to control the outbreaks.
▶ 0:38:49Chair Cassidy: The questions was what steps have the administration taken to track the diseases that could potentially come in. You point out that other countries have outbreaks which increases the likelihood they will bring that here and our immunization rates have fallen. Unfortunately I am out of time. I will yield to senator sanders but I may come back because that question was not answered.
▶ 0:39:12Sec. Kennedy: We are laser focused. We have testing booths and institutions all over the games.
▶ 0:39:21Chair Cassidy: Senator sanders. Secretary kennedy, thank you for being with us. In your book, the real anthony bounty, you wrote and I quote, a canon of the germ theory credits vaccines with the dramatic declines of infectious diseases mortalities in north america and europe during the 20th century.
▶ 0:39:51Chair Cassidy: Most americans accept this claim as dogma. It will therefore come as a surprise to learn that it is simply untrue. But despite your assertion in your book, according to a peer-reviewed study led by the world health organization's world health organization', vaccines have saved the lives of more than 150 million people and reduced infant death by 40% over the past 50 years.
▶ 0:40:22Chair Cassidy: My question is a simple one. Do you still believe that one of the central tenets of the germ theory, that vaccines sharply reduce infant mortality, his quote, simply untrue?
▶ 0:40:33Sec. Kennedy: What I was saying in that book -- the study you cited is a modeling study. Cdc has actually done a real study that answers that question. Guyer 2000.
▶ 0:40:53Sec. Kennedy: It says that the 80% mortality in chronic disease that took place in the 20th century, that almost none of it was attributable to hygiene, plants, water supplies.
▶ 0:41:16Ranking Member Sanders: I have to interrupt. You are entitled to your view.
▶ 0:41:22Sec. Kennedy: That is cdc's view.
▶ 0:41:24Ranking Member Sanders: You are entitled to the cdc's view. But according to the world health organization and scientists all over the world, vaccines have played an enormous role in saving lives.
▶ 0:41:38Sec. Kennedy: I don't contest that. I'm saying if you want to talk about why disease mortalities disappeared in the 20th century, it was not vaccines.
▶ 0:41:47Ranking Member Sanders: You are in a minority. I've got other questions Mr. secretary. You have talked about -- I think correctly -- the fact that a lot of our kids are eating ultra-processed food, high in sugar. We have as you know an epidemic of obesity in this country.
▶ 0:42:12Ranking Member Sanders: We spend zillions of dollars treating diabetes caused by obesity. I believe we should follow countries like chile, mexico and put strong warning labels on products that will show parents the nature of the food their kids are eating.
▶ 0:42:33Ranking Member Sanders: My question to you is how long will it take before your agency puts strong warning labels on unhealthy food and beverages?
▶ 0:42:43Sec. Kennedy: Early in april, we got our final regulations having a definition of what ultra-processed food is. That is now an interagency process. We have no control over what happens with the other agencies. As soon as it comes back to us we will do the labeling.
▶ 0:43:06Sec. Kennedy: President trump's nominee for surgeon general told this committee that she agreed with me that junk food ads in the united states should be banned from tv. Do you agree?
▶ 0:43:21Sec. Kennedy: I would support that.
▶ 0:43:23Ranking Member Sanders: Good. What we are seeing now is these big food industry companies spending huge amounts of money telling kids to eat crap. I think it would make a lot of sense if we banned those ads. I'm hearing you say you agree with me on that?
▶ 0:43:41Sec. Kennedy: The only hesitation with me, we tried to do a smoking ban on tv and tobacco companies voluntarily came to the table which was a good thing. I think the same arguments apply for junk food. They are probably even worse than smoking.
▶ 0:44:01Ranking Member Sanders: I would hope you take a leadership role in making it clear that we should get these ads, which just entice kids to really bad food, off the air. Thank you Mr. chairman.
▶ 0:44:13Chair Cassidy: Senator paul.
▶ 0:44:17Sen. Paul: Thank you for appearing. Senator sanders makes a great point on obesity and diabetes. Replacing ads or warning people that food is bad is one thing but one thing we could do immediately would be having the taxpayer quit subsidizing bad food. Soda infused with sugar, chips, twinkies, doughnuts, bags of candy.
▶ 0:44:44Sen. Paul: We should agree and I can't understand -- we need to get somebody across the aisle that cares about nutrition enough to say we shouldn't subsidize bad things. One thing I think you have done is directed states and given them waivers to try and do this. We need to codify that. I hope the administration will think about supporting the bill and letting other republicans know. My question is this.
▶ 0:45:12Sen. Paul: I think there is agreement to a lot of problems but we disagree on solutions. We agree on the problem of high drug prices. Some people on both sides say if we just publish the price, the problem will go away. I don't believe that at all. Most prices are fixed and most consumers don't care about the price unless it is high. Why don't they? Because they pay it. It is either fixed by the insurance or medicare or medicaid. Almost all the prices are fixed.
▶ 0:45:45Sen. Paul: The only way to -- so there are a couple of things we could do that would transform the drug pricing and the insurance world and cost nothing to the taxpayer. Only about 10% of people have an hsa. Why? The government rules say your insurance product is not eligible. I would make everyone eligible, let it pay for your premium and your deductible.
▶ 0:46:15Sen. Paul: Let your hsa plate -- pay for healthy things like gym memberships and diet programs and things for better health. Raise the limits. I would also let people negotiate. If I go to the store and want to negotiate the price no one cares but if I joined a co-op like costco or amazon through an association health plan. Cosco has 44 million members. Do you think they have more leverage than me and my five employees?
▶ 0:46:45Sen. Paul: The first trump administration, president trump did an executive order on this. We have legislation to do this and we are talking to people in the administration but we would appreciate help on letting people join a co-op or association plan regardless of employment. Right now you have to be cardmembers or farmers or cattleman. Anyone that belongs to costco or amazon, let them purchase cheaper insurance by loosening up the laws.
▶ 0:47:14Sen. Paul: I appreciate your idea on legalizing -- increasing hsa, and letting people buy insurance or drugs through a large co-op across state lines.
▶ 0:47:24Sec. Kennedy: Wouldn't it be great if we took the billions of dollars that we are giving to the insurance industry, which increased their share value by 1000% after the passage of obama care. Wouldn't it be better if we took that money and gave it to people to buy their own hsa, giving them value-based care?
▶ 0:47:50Sec. Kennedy: Let them participate in a market, that will drive down prices.
▶ 0:47:55Sen. Paul: I'm not talking -- I'm not sure how you talk about taking money from the insurance companies but I like the idea that they get less of the take if we expanded hsa's and you were negotiating directly. The money would be more directed toward the individual and they would be able to use it. The other thing people don't think through is they say only rich people have hsa.
▶ 0:48:21Sen. Paul: Because they bid on prices, it brings down the price for everyone and when you have innovations in the marketplace, rich people do get them before the rest of us. But it always drives the price down. I think there are things we could do and would be open to. The thing on restricting bad foods from being subsidized and the idea of negotiating cost. Neither of these cost or save money but would ultimately give a lot more power to the consumer.
▶ 0:48:48Sec. Kennedy: I would add that 50% of the states have at our request applied for waivers so they can get soda and candy off of snap. We are paying for the poorest kids in this country to get diabetes and then treating 78% of them with medicaid afterwards. So we are paying at both ends and it makes no sense.
▶ 0:49:17Sec. Kennedy: Once we finalize the ultra processed food definition, we can ask the states to start adding that to their snap waivers.
▶ 0:49:25Sen. Paul: I agree with that and if you do that, it'll be the most important thing you do for the health of americans and particularly for poor kids. We have to get beyond this everyone has a right to a bag of candy. We need to have healthy food, there are lots of other food you can buy and we should restrict it. I appreciate your efforts on this.
▶ 0:49:46Chair Cassidy: Senator kaine.
▶ 0:49:50Sen. Kaine: Thank you Mr. chair and thank you Mr. secretary. Who at hhs is responsible for monitoring whether health facilities like hospitals are closing as a result of changes included in the reconciliation bill last summer?
▶ 0:50:10Sec. Kennedy: The same guy who was responsible for monitoring the closures of hospitals due to the aca.
▶ 0:50:22Sen. Kaine: Who is it?
▶ 0:50:23Sec. Kennedy: That would be Dr. oz.
▶ 0:50:26Sen. Kaine: 's are right now Dr. oz is responsible for monitoring those closures.
▶ 0:50:32Sec. Kennedy: Ultimately.
▶ 0:50:35Sen. Kaine: Do you have anyone in the hhs office who is monitoring to see what is happening with the closures?
▶ 0:50:41Sec. Kennedy: We have a cms council, but that would be within cms.
▶ 0:50:49Sen. Kaine: I want to bring to the attention of my colleagues and the secretary's office, closures in virginia because of the reconciliation. The bill was passed right from the beginning in july 2025, less than two months later on september 4, augustine medical group located in fishers ville, virginia, in rural shenandoah county announced the closure of three clinics, two rural primary care clinics and one urgent care clinic.
▶ 0:51:17Sen. Kaine: In their announcement a gust to help set the consolidation is part of augusta health's ongoing response to the big bill act and the resulting realities for health care delivery. On september 19, sentra announced their decision to discontinue all ob/gyn services at their southside community hospital in farmville in rural virginia.
▶ 0:51:43Sen. Kaine: In the announcement they said quote, sentra like other rural health care providers must adapt to significant financial and operational challenges including recently an act of reductions in federal health care funding. Just in the last two weeks, valley health which provides health care to the northern shenandoah valley and winchester announced they were making significant changes across to the hospital system including closing and observation unit that serves patients.
▶ 0:52:13Sen. Kaine: In the announcement, the systems president said quote, it has become more urgent following the adoption of the house resolution which will reduce valley health funding by over $80 million annually. Mr. chair I would like to introduce these announcements into the record about the closures of facilities in virginia.
▶ 0:52:33Chair Cassidy: Without objection.
▶ 0:52:38Sen. Kaine: These are not hypothetical losses. Medicaid adjustments from last year were not scheduled to be implemented for a while. But these institutions look at the medicaid percentage of their population and the medicaid changes and realize they can't make it work. All of these closures in virginia, the ob/gyn war in farmville so you have to travel a lot farther to have kids.
▶ 0:53:06Sen. Kaine: All of them are in rural virginia and over all the virginia hospital association indicates that they will lose $34 billion over 10 years as a result. Now that I know that cns or Dr. oz should focus on that -- important for everyone in this room to know, if these closures in rural virginia are happening even before the medicaid changes get implemented, we are going to
▶ 0:53:37Sen. Kaine: See an awful lot more.
▶ 0:53:37Sec. Kennedy: Can I reply?
▶ 0:53:41Sen. Kaine: Please.
▶ 0:53:41Sec. Kennedy: First of all it is an absolute tragedy to lose those hospitals. I know what that does to rural areas, from touring the country. You are not just losing access to health care but an economic provider for those communities. It is the largest employers in many cases and businesses will never move in once they close. We are doing everything in our power. This is not a problem that was created by the trump administration.
▶ 0:54:12Sec. Kennedy: The one big bill which has not gone into place yet --
▶ 0:54:19Sen. Kaine: Not in virginia interestingly enough. All three of these cited the reconciliation bill as the reason for the closures. I'm glad you walked through the challenges because you are right. It is not just the loss of patient care. It is also the loss of health care jobs and as you point out, once the hospital closes, it is difficult for businesses to move into these communities because they realize there is no health care. I like the fact that you connected the dots.
▶ 0:54:51Sen. Kaine: I am urging my colleagues as these medicaid cuts get implemented, I think these closures are going to become even more dramatic. I yield back.
▶ 0:55:02Chair Cassidy: Senator marshall.
▶ 0:55:06Sen. Marshall: Thank you Mr. chairman. I want to remind everyone that medicaid spending is going to be going up hundreds of billions of dollars over the next several years. I think the trump administration has done more for rural health care and the rural economy than any administration. Real money in the medicaid -- an extra billion dollars were given to kansas and another $220 million for the rural health transformation fund.
▶ 0:55:37Sen. Marshall: What has the trump administration done to help fund rural health care?
▶ 0:55:41Sec. Kennedy: One of the democrat talking points is that we've cut medicaid by $1 trillion. Cbo disagrees with that. The report from two weeks ago says medicaid will raise from 600 billion dollars to $900 billion by 2036. Only in washington is that considered a cut.
▶ 0:56:10Sec. Kennedy: The president is making the biggest investment in rural health of any administration in history. The rural health transformation fund gives $50 billion over five years. Medicaid which we just heard is closing hospitals -- medicaid only gives a 7% of its funding to rural hospitals. About $20 billion a year. We are now increasing that influx of federal funds by 50% per year.
▶ 0:56:42Sec. Kennedy: $10 billion extra per year. This gives those hospitals a chance to restructure, rebuild their infrastructure, install telehealth, remodel themselves as you pointed out. A hospital cannot exist. The business model has failed for a lot of hospitals. 1.6 patients a day. You cannot have an overnight hospital and have a business model that works. We need another model.
▶ 0:57:13Sec. Kennedy: We need to help them transition to that. That is one of the things the rural health transformation fund does.
▶ 0:57:20Sen. Marshall: Let's talk about something near and dear to our hearts. You are committed to making america healthy again and specifically targeting children and their health. Tell me some of the things you have done and what are the goals for the next year to help make america healthy again?
▶ 0:57:37Sec. Kennedy: Thank you for that question. The most impactful thing that we do is change the food pyramid. The food pyramid was written by food industry lobbyists for 50 years. It reflected the mercantile policies of those companies, that put froot loops at the top of the food pyramid.
▶ 0:58:01Sec. Kennedy: We have done a science-based guideline, the biggest universities came together for almost a year. It is science-based guidance that emphasize protein, vegetables and whole grains. That will revolutionize the dietary culture of the country because we are changing the subsidy programs.
▶ 0:58:26Sec. Kennedy: We give $450 million a day in food subsidies to the wic program, school lunches,, snap and all of these other programs. They will now change to align with the dietary guidelines. The military is changing the food on all of their bases. So we are going to see massive changes across the culture, we will see more availability.
▶ 0:58:58Sec. Kennedy: I think that is the most important thing. Getting rid of the -- we've had bipartisan support. Senator sanders has been a leader on that issue. We are actually doing it now. We have final regulations again in the interagency process. We are getting rid of food dyes. We are redoing infant formula.
▶ 0:59:30Sec. Kennedy: Making sure to test for all of the contaminants.
▶ 0:59:33Sen. Marshall: Thank you. I do commend you. You've done your job, you've done great work with transparency, with prior authorization, talking about grass. My colleagues are saying what have you done, but we have bills before us that are transparency, price tag bills, bipartisan cosponsors. Let's get those across the finish line.
▶ 1:00:01Sen. Marshall: Grass legislation, we just released a large hsa package of bills. All of these would drive down the cost of health care, codifying much of what you have done. But we need to do our job and quit treading water appear. Thank you.
▶ 1:00:18Sec. Kennedy: Thank you senator marshall.
▶ 1:00:21Chair Cassidy: Before I go to the next senator, what was the cdc paper you said attributed improvements in longevity to sewer treatment over vaccines? I'm looking for that on chatgpt and it says it is not -- it does not exist.
▶ 1:00:41Sec. Kennedy: Guyer. There is another one that came out in 1977 that was required reading in virtually every medical school that seems -- that says the same thing.
▶ 1:00:53Chair Cassidy: Full is the author?
▶ 1:00:55Sec. Kennedy: Mckinley and mckinley.
▶ 1:00:58Chair Cassidy: That one is not cdc.
▶ 1:01:01Sec. Kennedy: It is not. Guyer is cdc.
▶ 1:01:07Chair Cassidy: Senator hassan.
▶ 1:01:11Sen. Hassan: I agree with you that all americans should have access to healthy food. However president trump has made it harder for families to afford their groceries. Last year the typical family paid hundreds of dollars more than they did the previous year on groceries such as fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, coffee and dairy. While a few items such as eggs have gotten cheaper this year, other staples like beef continue to reach historic highs.
▶ 1:01:40Sen. Hassan: Do these high grocery prices make it easier or harder for families to eat fresh healthy food?
▶ 1:01:44Sec. Kennedy: I would say that beef has dropped by 1% in the last quarter.
▶ 1:01:50Sen. Hassan: Beef prices are up 20%, banana prices up nearly 7%. She's prices are up 6%. When groceries get more expensive, easier or harder to afford the very healthy food you want them to eat?
▶ 1:02:06Sec. Kennedy: You can eat beef, poultry, fish. Beef -- the price of beef is dictated by the size of the herd.
▶ 1:02:16Sen. Hassan: You are not answering but obviously if the food is more expensive --
▶ 1:02:21Sec. Kennedy: You are blaming president trump or something he did not do.
▶ 1:02:24Sen. Hassan: Did you post this image in 2024 about grocery prices being too high?
▶ 1:02:29Sec. Kennedy: I don't recall.
▶ 1:02:31Sen. Hassan: You did post it, that is your handle. And I agree that grocery prices were too high in 2024. Under president trump they have skyrocketed further. Let's go to an updated version of this post. Will you post this? The most expensive vehicle?
▶ 1:02:53Sec. Kennedy: President trump brought down grocery prices for most of his term. There was a rise recently in the price of everything.
▶ 1:03:03Sen. Hassan: Families are facing historic prices at the register. You don't need to be a secretary of health and human services to know that, you don't need to be a senator to know that. The people across this country know that because they go to grocery stores and the fact that you either don't know it or you don't want to admit it shows how out of touch you and the trump administration are. Another issue.
▶ 1:03:31Sen. Hassan: Earlier this year president trump signed an executive order to increase production of a pesticide commonly known as round up and to grant immunity from liability to the company that makes it. You said that it causes cancer. You told senator yesterday that you still believe it causes cancer and you expressed displeasure about the president's order and you also told senator schatz that the
▶ 1:04:01Sen. Hassan: President's reasoning had to do with national security. So does president trump's executive order, his decision mean that more americans are likely to be exposed to this chemical and get cancer?
▶ 1:04:13Sec. Kennedy: It does not because it does not increase the use of it. The president has invested more in trying to transition off of it than any other president.
▶ 1:04:25Sen. Hassan: When and how did he do that? He didn't executive order that says increase production of it for military weapons and as herbicide anti-granted immunity to the huge corporation that produces this, a corporation that you once sued and got recovery from because this chemical causes cancer.
▶ 1:04:51Sen. Hassan: Was -- does president trump's decision mean that if there is going to be more of this chemical there will be more cancer?
▶ 1:04:57Sec. Kennedy: It is not increasing production, it is increasing domestic production to displace the chinese production. 97% of our corn crop is dependent on it. 98% of our soy crop.
▶ 1:05:12Sec. Kennedy: Here's the -- Sen.
▶ 1:05:14Hassan: Here is the thing. When you are running to get the maha vote, you said you would stand up to chemical country -- companies, take carcinogens out of our agricultural system. You said you would get these chemicals out of foods.
▶ 1:05:31Hassan: That is what you said you would do to make america healthy again and yet when push comes to shove and a big corporation and you talk about the status quo -- monsanto was the big company and when the president of the united states rather than trying to work to find alternatives or get them to limit that executive order, you stood down instead of standing up.
▶ 1:05:53Sec. Kennedy: You asked what president trump has done. He's given me $200 million to get americans --
▶ 1:06:00Sen. Hassan: I would look forward to finding out who is doing the research in the science and are you working.
▶ 1:06:07Sen. Hassan: You guys helped create this problem over the last 30 years.
▶ 1:06:11Sen. Hassan: And you just told a corporation they don't even have liability for any more.
▶ 1:06:16Sec. Kennedy: He is dealing with a national security vulnerability where the chinese could shut off our food supply in a single day.
▶ 1:06:23Sen. Hassan: Mr. chair I'm going to yield my time but I'm going to say this. You have been changing your testimony over time.
▶ 1:06:32Sec. Kennedy: I am not changing my testimony.
▶ 1:06:34Sen. Hassan: You to talk to pret of it and now you are just fully supportive of a huge corporation with no liability thank you.
▶ 1:06:44Sec. Kennedy: I sued that corporation and got $11 million and put them on the edge of bankruptcy.
▶ 1:06:49Sen. Hassan: And now you fold right in front of them.
▶ 1:06:52Chair Cassidy: Senator tuberville.
▶ 1:06:55Sen. Tuberville: Thank you Mr. secretary.
▶ 1:06:59Chair Cassidy: Is your microphone on?
▶ 1:07:02Sen. Tillis: Real -- Sen.
▶ 1:07:07Tuberville: It should be on. Seven hearings in the last few weeks. Can we let you do your job? We don't do much up here so we might as well let you work. I would like to address something on the food prices. I'm on the ag committee. The biden administration put 150,000 farms out of business when they were in charge.
▶ 1:07:37Tuberville: We won't have any food if we don't watch it and we better pack our farmers and everything we can because that trash we get out of brazil and asia that we are eating ain't maha. You are a hero in my state because the kids are starting to understand the food pyramid. You pushed it and you made it work.
▶ 1:08:00Tuberville: I came from a former business that tried to eat right with supplements and working out and it has caught fire and thank you for what you are doing. Continue doing what you are doing. We will make progress. In our country we have 10,000 ingredients we can use in food but in europe they only use 400 or 500. Could you explain that?
▶ 1:08:27Sec. Kennedy: Thank you for that. This is something senator sanders has shown leadership on. Congress has talked about this for many years. I actually got it done. This loophole was added in 1948, to exclude from the necessity of testing, foods that were traditionally used like vinegar, salt, wheat.
▶ 1:08:59Sec. Kennedy: The food industry -- because fda has been captured for 50 years -- hijacked that and put every new lab created monstrosity through so it doesn't have to be tested. We have 10,000 ingredients in our country but the fda doesn't even know what they are. We have no list anywhere. None of them have been adequately tested. And they have 400 and europe. We are trying to close that loophole, and then go back.
▶ 1:09:32Sec. Kennedy: We already have the 38 worst of those chemicals under review. We are going to get rid of the bad ones one at a time.
▶ 1:09:38Sen. Tuberville: Thank you. Senator kaine earlier talked about medicare, medicaid. In my state, it's going to be a lot like his state. The wage index is killing us. We can only change it in congress. It's been that way for 40 years. We've struggled to keep our hospitals open. We are considered a low-wage state. Don't you think things would change in 40 years? We've really grown.
▶ 1:10:10Sen. Tuberville: Do you agree that congress needs to fix this?
▶ 1:10:11Sec. Kennedy: They absolutely need to. Sheldon whitehouse was here at the last hearing, talking about people in his state, doctors in his state get 20% less than a doctor right across the border in massachusetts. The rural areas are the ones that are suffering the worst. I can't change it because of the social security act, but we need to change it or we are going to lose these rural hospitals.
▶ 1:10:37Sen. Tuberville: Thank you. And petroleum-based synthetic food dyes, thank you. We need to keep that momentum going. It is so important. There is no reason we should be using those in our food. A few words about psychedelic treatments for ptsd, thank you and for president trump or what you are doing for our veterans. It has worked in our state.
▶ 1:11:05Sen. Tuberville: Thank you for agreeing to look into it, and make it happen more and more. Could you say something about it?
▶ 1:11:12Sec. Kennedy: The chair of the department of johns hopkins -- I became -- is the most promising treatment for depression and ptsd that anyone has ever seen. Right now, veterans who have served this country. Who have come back from deployment with severe ptsd and are killing themselves, 23 a day.
▶ 1:11:43Sec. Kennedy: They are having to go down to mexico to get this treatment. We don't know much about dosage or screening. We don't know much about the protocols. We need to get this promising treatment here, do the proper studies and make it available to these veterans. We are doing that right away.
▶ 1:12:00Sen. Tuberville: Thank you.
▶ 1:12:04Chair Cassidy: Senator blunt rochester.
▶ 1:12:06Sen. Blunt Rochester: Thank you Mr. chairman. The united states first became measles free over 25 years ago. A quarter of a century. We have maintained that status in every year since, until you became secretary. A simple yes or no. Does the president know there is a historic measles search occurring nationwide? It is a simple question. You will get your opportunity.
▶ 1:12:36Sec. Kennedy: You want to grandstand. I can answer that question. I did not cause the measles outbreak.
▶ 1:12:44Sen. Blunt Rochester: I am giving you the opportunity to answer the question. Mr. chairman may I get my time back from this rudeness? Mr. chairman?
▶ 1:12:54Chair Cassidy: I'm sorry?
▶ 1:12:56Sen. Blunt Rochester: Can I get my time back from being interrupted? A simple yes or no question. Does the president know there is a historic measles search occurring nationwide?
▶ 1:13:08Sec. Kennedy: I'm sure he does.
▶ 1:13:10Sen. Blunt Rochester: You are sure he does. Remarkably ralph abraham, your former cdc principal deputy director said that losing our measles free status is not really significant, and just the cost of doing business with our borders. Another simple yes or no. Does the president think this is not a significant issue?
▶ 1:13:33Sec. Kennedy: Losing our measles elimination status? I'm sure he doesn't think it is a good development. It is happening all over the world.
▶ 1:13:48Sen. Blunt Rochester: Have you talked to him about it?
▶ 1:13:51Sec. Kennedy: About the measles?
▶ 1:13:52Sen. Blunt Rochester: About the outbreaks, the crisis.
▶ 1:13:55Sec. Kennedy: I have.
▶ 1:13:56Sen. Blunt Rochester: So he does know it's a problem?
▶ 1:13:59Sec. Kennedy: Yes.
▶ 1:14:00Sen. Blunt Rochester: According to the washington post, the president makes public statements about his plans for the new golden ballroom at a pace that rivals and even exceeds the dimensions of major policy priorities -- mentions of major policy priorities. One of every three days. Do you know how many times the president has spoken about measles?
▶ 1:14:24Sec. Kennedy: I don't count that. We don't keep track of that data at the cdc.
▶ 1:14:29Sen. Blunt Rochester: As head of our nation's health agency, have you advise the president to sound the alarm and encourage americans to -- to obtain the measles vaccine.
▶ 1:14:42Sec. Kennedy: Am I going to get a chance to answer -- >> that was a question for you. The question was have you alerted the president to sound the alarm? You are the head of hhs, the leading health agency in our country.
▶ 1:14:59Sec. Kennedy: That is my job and we do it. >> yes or no?
▶ 1:15:03Sec. Kennedy: It is my job, I do my job. >> I'm concerned about it, I watch these hearings, you blame the mennonites, immigrants, the globe. We have been part of the globe, and still we are in the situation. Do you take any responsibility in your role for the situation that we are in with this measles epidemic?
▶ 1:15:30Sec. Kennedy: The measles epidemic began before I came into office. >> I'm going to take that as I know. The pan-american health organization was scheduled to review our measles status on april 13. Did your department request to delay this independent international review of our measles elimination status to november after the election?
▶ 1:15:49Sec. Kennedy: No. >> you had no knowledge of the request, no communication with the white house? Thank you. It is awfully convenient we are postponing it until after november when people won't have the opportunity to know our measles status.
▶ 1:16:07Sec. Kennedy: I would just say this, there has been a lot in terms of polling on trust, you talked a lot about trust, the people don't trust you, and I would ask what is different from all these other years? You are. If the american people don't trust you, which most of the polls show, I don't know why the president should trust you, either. I yield back. >> senator murkowski. >> thank you.
▶ 1:16:41Sec. Kennedy: Secretary, welcome back to the committee. You and I have had many opportunities to talk about ihs funding. I appreciate your trip to alaska last year, very targeted on what we are doing with regards to health care for alaska natives, as well as native americans, hawaiians. I appreciate what we are seeing with the advance appropriations for ihs and the budget.
▶ 1:17:10Sec. Kennedy: This helps with providing certainty to our tribal health systems. That is a good. Another good is the billing increase including investments in ihs, so good. Where I do have concerns is the reduction we are seeing in the sanitation rest -- construction account.
▶ 1:17:36Sec. Kennedy: And you have had an opportunity on your visits to see what it means in the communities that don't have running water, that don't have clean drinking water, that don't have sanitation facilities and are using honey buckets. We've made good headway under the infrastructure law, but that was intended to supplement, not supplant our annual appropriations.
▶ 1:18:05Sec. Kennedy: I want to make sure you are committing, on behalf of your folks within ihs, to maintain a key eye on funding for tribal sanitation facilities, construction. I'm going to work on my side on the appropriations committee, but also as chairman of the indian affairs to make sure we don't go backwards on these important investments in basic sanitation for people in remote areas.
▶ 1:18:37Sec. Kennedy: >> absolutely, we had cuts across the department, ihs was protected from those cuts. They received $1 billion for infrastructure, nobody else across the government has received that. Maybe the defense department has made more visits than any hhs secretary in history. We don't like to make any of these cuts. It is up to congress ultimately.
▶ 1:19:07Sec. Kennedy: If you appropriate the money, I will spend it. >> and we want to work with you to make wise investments. When we think about those areas where we see dispiriting health comes -- health outcomes in rural areas, some can be traced back to they don't have access to basic clean water and sanitation. Last year, I had a chance to raise with you the low income home energy assistance program.
▶ 1:19:38Sec. Kennedy: We've had a pretty tough winter. I was in fairbanks over the weekend and reminded they had 152 consecutive days of temperatures below zero. 152 is a long time to be cold. This is where I look at it, not just nice to have it come about for so many it was very imperative. I'm worried again that funding is not made a priority.
▶ 1:20:09Sec. Kennedy: Last april, he eliminated all staff assigned to administer. It is my understanding the responsibility for administering the entire program rests with a single staff member. I hope that is not accurate. But we need to know that not only these levels of important support will continue, but there is adequate staffing to help address this.
▶ 1:20:34Sec. Kennedy: I think particularly, it is not just cold winters we face, but all of our families are seeing increased prices when it comes to home heating fuel, so many of our communities are diesel powered communities and the price of diesel will be shockingly high when the first barge comes in june. I'm asking for your help once again. I know you understand the priority, but I'm putting it on the radar.
▶ 1:21:03Sec. Kennedy: >> I spent the money I could spend. We've now got in the last 10% released and we will spend that. We have adequate staffing to do that. You know how I feel about that program. >> I'm just putting it back on your radar. I've got 20 seconds to raise my concerns about the programs focus on domestic violence and sexual assault program.
▶ 1:21:32Sec. Kennedy: You have combined into a single program under the administration for healthy america, this is the delta program, the great prevention and education. I'm concerned the programs aren't interchangeable, different models administer through fundamentally different structures. I'm concerned looking at have to funding for programs that have a proven record of improving public safety, reducing crime, and protecting victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
▶ 1:22:03Sec. Kennedy: I know it is a priority of yours, certainly a priority of mine, that we have effective tools talking about prevention of domestic sexual violence. >> thank you, senator. >> thank you. >> just to close the conversation, thank you for giving geiger's name. I looked up the article. The quote is thus vaccination does not account for the empress declines in mortality seen in the first half of last century.
▶ 1:22:30Sec. Kennedy: The reduction in vaccine preventable diseases are impressive. In the early 1920's, there are about half a million annual cases before the introduction of the measles vaccine in the 60's because of vaccines, these deaths have been virtually eliminated. >> I was talking about mortality, senator. >> and the deaths have been virtually eliminated. Senator baldwin. >> thank you, Mr.
▶ 1:22:59Sec. Kennedy: Chairman and Mr. secretary for being here to answer our questions in your marathon hearing schedule. Mr. secretary, premiums for working families who purchase their health insurance through the affordable care act marketplaces have in many cases doubled, tripled, quadrupled because the administration and republicans refused to extend enhanced premium tax credits.
▶ 1:23:31Sec. Kennedy: With the higher costs, people are literally choosing between rent, groceries, gas, and their health insurance. If you don't know the answer, feel free to say this, but I'm wondering how closely you are watching this? The tax cut expired in december. Do you know how many americans have lost their health insurance through the affordable care act marketplaces this year?
▶ 1:24:00Sec. Kennedy: >> I know that 87% of the advanced tax credits are still there, 87% of the people who are on obamacare are still getting insurance for under $96 a year. 54% -- >> what do you know how many people have lost their health insurance? >> it would be the top 13%. >> the answer is 1.3 million.
▶ 1:24:26Sec. Kennedy: I would not expect you to know wisconsin figures, but it is 22,000 in the state of wisconsin. Another 2 million were forced to buy plans with higher deductibles to stay insured. Which may cost them more money in out-of-pocket costs in the long run.
▶ 1:24:49Sec. Kennedy: Do you know what percentage of individuals were unable to pay their health insurance premiums on the affordable care act marketplaces in the month of january after the enhanced premium tax credits expired? >> no, I know the democrats when they controlled -- >> I will furnish that information according to wall street journal reporting.
▶ 1:25:18Sec. Kennedy: About 14% of enrollees, a significant increase from past years, were unable to pay their january health insurance premiums. In some states, it was up to a quarter all enrollees, a shocking figure. Do you know how much overall enrollment is expected to decline?
▶ 1:25:48Sec. Kennedy: >> I know that the last time we looked at it, it was flat, except for the 1.5 million people who were cheating -- committing fraud. If you deduct that number, the enrollment -- I don't know -- >> I'm talking about the affordable care act marketplace participation. Overall enrollment is expected to decline by up to 26%.
▶ 1:26:23Sec. Kennedy: This is likely going to be in part healthier enrollees to choose not to pay, raising the likelihood that because sicker or unhealthier enrollees will continue to figure out a way to keep their insurance, that there will be higher premiums for individuals who need coverage.
▶ 1:26:50Sec. Kennedy: Your department has also proposed significant changes to the affordable care act plans for 2027, which would increase out-of-pocket costs and introduce more junk insurance and raise deductibles for working families. The rule also as millions of hours in red tape paperwork to the enrollment process.
▶ 1:27:13Sec. Kennedy: Do you know how many americans your department estimates would lose their health coverage under your proposed rule? >> under the aca rule? >> yes. >> I can't tell you the exact number. >> it is 2 million americans.
▶ 1:27:39Sec. Kennedy: >> that is why it is important to do low premium plans to get people some kind of access to better health insurance at lower cost. >> in 2 million that would lose health insurance and due to the rules you are proposing, that would be on top of the 15 million americans projected to lose coverage thanks to the provisions in the big ugly bill, and combination of that with the ending of the enhanced premium tax credits.
▶ 1:28:15Sec. Kennedy: Yesterday in our labor age subcommittee hearing, -- I will submit these. In association with the question I could not answer, I did want a submission for the record, I would ask unanimous consent, then I will include a reference to those documents in my question that I submit for the record. Thank you.
▶ 1:28:47Sec. Kennedy: >> secretary, thank you for taking time to be here. We appreciate it. Thank you, chairman cassidy, for holding this hearing. I think it is great you are -- sure. Better? It is great you are here taking on the tough questions and showing the american people how you are thinking outside the box and bucking up against the status quo to change the tragic and sad trajectory we are on in terms of health in this country.
▶ 1:29:16Sec. Kennedy: It takes a lot of guts to do that and we appreciate it. I have been talking where you want to put resources is a good thing. I think the most important thing you are doing is putting in the work, rolling up your sleeves and trying to reverse course on some of the horrible statistics that quite frankly america is paying attention to more now than they have. That has a lot to do with you.
▶ 1:29:42Sec. Kennedy: 30% of our population is obese and rank highest in cancer burden, and we see cancer rates skyrocketing among the youth, over half a million cases of people with alzheimer's. That is expected to go up to one million in the next few years. In my state and across the country, we suffer severely, people suffer from the oppression of chronic disease.
▶ 1:30:10Sec. Kennedy: And no one really wanted to look at the root cause of that critically within government until you started talking about it, you took the helm and started fostering, allowing, promoting scientific debate, true debate. That is important in this country. I think during the covid years, that became very apparent.
▶ 1:30:36Sec. Kennedy: You said it best in your testimony, nutrition is the bedrock of health as a mom that truly wants to make america healthy again. I could not agree more. I'm glad we are having these hearings. I wasn't surprised when you chose miami, florida as the place you announced you would engage hospitals and require that they serve nutritious food.
▶ 1:31:00Sec. Kennedy: I will never forget the time I was in the hospital with one of my parents and they came in and I was asking what they should and should not eat, and looked at the plate of food and said none of this. That is exactly why we were in the hospital. I thought that was very strange. So many floridians end up in the hospital because they have a lifelong diet of ultra-processed polluted food.
▶ 1:31:26Sec. Kennedy: How can we hope to heal people in the medical setting when the food we are serving them is nutrient deficient and mitral past -- plastics pump with artificial dyes. So much of this can contribute to weakening the immune system, can contribute to cancer. So many of our schools are not even serving food that meets the highest standards, what you would call the make america healthy again standards.
▶ 1:31:53Sec. Kennedy: Between 30% and 60% of a child's nutrition comes from school meals. We have to address that. We want our children eating healthy, nutritious meals. Certainly for their long-term, lifetime health, that will be important. Prior to your swearing in from of the overwhelming majority of medical students receive no nutrition education, none. That is insane. That is insane when you're looking at these chronic disease and the rates we are facing.
▶ 1:32:22Sec. Kennedy: Less then 1% of lecture hours in medical schools were dedicated to this fundamental part of health. Just last month you secured historic agreements with well over 50 of the top medical schools to require comprehensive nutrition education giving our future health care providers the tools necessary to attack chronic disease at the most fun a mental level.
▶ 1:32:44Sec. Kennedy: Six florida schools were part of this agreement and are very excited that hhs has invested $5 million to support the entry 8 -- integration of this curriculum. Before you came along and thought to do these things and pushed for these things, we expected to keep working within the status quo and expected chronic disease rates to change. So thank goodness you came along.
▶ 1:33:14Sec. Kennedy: Florida wants to be ground zero for the fight for nutrition. I know that our moms want that. I'm part of that caucus. When your team have grabbed the bull by the horns, you are standing strong for our kids and americans. How transformative do you think hhs's nutrition guidelines combined with education requirements for medical students will be for america?
▶ 1:33:39Sec. Kennedy: >> 80% of young doctors today say that they feel inadequate to offer nutritional advice. 80% -- 90% of our health care costs are chronic disease that are diet-induced.
▶ 1:34:04Sec. Kennedy: Upwards of 70% of type 2 diabetes can be cured just by changing diet, or vastly improved. There's other things other than the pharmacopeia to turn to, you can have dietary changes, lifestyle changes that save your life without getting addicted to a lifetime of pharmaceutical interventions. >> I see that I have blown past my time. Thank you, secretary.
▶ 1:34:33Sec. Kennedy: >> the senators will take a short break at 3:30. I will ask our guests in the audience to remain seated until the secretary steps out. That will be at the bottom of the hour. Senator murphy. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. Secretary kennedy, for appropriations, I asked you about the insanely bloated military budget we are seeing from the white house this year. At the same time, the president is not doing anything to invest in our health care at home.
▶ 1:35:00Sec. Kennedy: And we have learned he's not even investing in our troop's health. Secretary hegseth announced the U.S. military will no longer require american troops to get the flu vaccine. My own colleague, senator wicker , called it a mistake, and pointed to his own experience, noting I'd dutifully took my flu shot every year, a made for a healthier and free force.
▶ 1:35:26Sec. Kennedy: Secretary kennedy is cdc or any agency at hhs for to detect or monitor localize flu outbreaks as a result of this when I think is a backwards policy. >> secretary hegseth what just recognize, the soldiers being sent over to fight for freedom's and that they should have freedom. The flu shot is an intervention often in effect, 20% efficacy rates.
▶ 1:35:58Sec. Kennedy: Studies show getting a flu shot actually increases the chance of a non-flu infection. >> my question wasn't about that, my question is about hhs or cdc, either one, now going to monitor any flu on our military ships?
▶ 1:36:21Sec. Kennedy: >> I don't know if there is any program specifically for the military, but we definitely monitor flu outbreaks. >> this was a very old policy, not based in science. >> secretary hegseth is approving the flu -- >> Mr. secretary, if I can finish. The 1918 pandemic actually sickened 40% of our service members and killed 20,000 soldiers.
▶ 1:36:46Sec. Kennedy: If you have a submarine full of people who we are counting on and a virus through, we don't have a running military. >> the spanish flu -- >> I'm just stating that if you have, our military, have a pandemic or a flu or anything fly through them, they are not ready.
▶ 1:37:11Sec. Kennedy: >> it is not going to kill an entire submarine -- >> I'm asking you a simple question, you did not answer whether we are going to monitor that to make sure we do have troops ready in these very critical times. Let me go on because I just have a few minutes left. Yesterday when we talked, you went on a long tangent how you were counseling woke up and grant -- canceling woke grants.
▶ 1:37:39Sec. Kennedy: You canceled at least 17 maternal health grants, $4 million, because apparently any research involving women as well, you canceled 58 grants for vaccine research, $94 million. 59 for alzheimer's research, $39 million. 108 cancer research grants, $29 million worth.
▶ 1:38:03Sec. Kennedy: I have to say, cancer is not well, neither is alzheimer's, neither women who die in childbirth, these are deadly issues that deserve serious research. I am appalled it was tossed in the shredder, and meanwhile, we are shoveling money on war spending. I want to be clear the budget sent to us is not a make america healthy again budget, it is a war budget. No one can call it anything other than that.
▶ 1:38:30Sec. Kennedy: Why would we take from researchers and rural health care, maternal health care? You justified these cuts because of a need to reduce the debt yesterday. This budget proposes to increase the debt for more war. We are shoveling more money in defense contractors but slashing nih by more than $5 billion, fewer patients getting life-saving treatment, cutting cdc by one third, so we can't
▶ 1:39:01Sec. Kennedy: Respond to dangerous outbreaks, slashing investments in mental health and addiction treatment, people will fall through the cracks. And not investing in childcare, families have to decide between childcare and health care and putting food on the table. I know my time is almost up. For the record, I'm concerned about the promises broken, and I have some items I want to submit for the record. I ask unanimous consent to include these articles.
▶ 1:39:31Sec. Kennedy: Rfk jr. Breaks promised to senators, guts cdc vaccine bill of independent experts, rfk jr. Breaks his promise about the cdc on vaccines and autism, firing of cdc vaccine advisors could spotlight promises to cassidy. I have one title rfk jr. Made promises in order to become a health secretary he's broken many of them. Bill cassidy extracted a promise from rfk jr.
▶ 1:39:59Sec. Kennedy: Now we see with the promise is worth, two more republican senator airing his concerns, too late now, gop senator refuses to face reality about rfk jr. After being lied to. I yield back. >> without objection. >> over here. Thank you for being here.
▶ 1:40:30Sec. Kennedy: I am a very new guy, so I'm very somewhat naive about this process. I have questions about the future and what we can do to do things. And I want to first of all say thanks for the bold vision. I've come for a business and I know it takes a lot of energy and conviction to bring change. Especially an organization like the big federal government. I want to tell you thanks for your commitment to bringing very significant reforms and a bold vision for the future.
▶ 1:41:01Sec. Kennedy: I want to say thanks, being from oklahoma, and to remind you how very important it is to make sure we are not forgetting about the rural areas in the tribal areas that so desperately need to be thought about when we think about the country.
▶ 1:41:16Sec. Kennedy: My question goes to thinking about drug approval and ai, it is very obvious to me ai is going to speed up the ability to develop more solutions, whether it is drugs, but things the fda will have to approve.
▶ 1:41:38Sec. Kennedy: He noted money in the budget for ai, but I'm wondering about what you think in the future can be done within the department to accelerate the ability to work in parallel with the drug development? >> senator, thank you for that question.
▶ 1:41:58Sec. Kennedy: I think we have done more than any agency and government except the cia and intelligence department to drive ai into all of our functions. Fda today has a voluntary program, 90% of the people are using it.
▶ 1:42:17Sec. Kennedy: We can use it to dramatically shorten the approval time of drugs from the review of the final application, normally take 60 days, we've compressed to about two hours. As a result of that, we just approved two cancer drugs, one in 54 days, one in 45 days. Ai is going to revolutionize medicine.
▶ 1:42:46Sec. Kennedy: It may at some point make the fda e relevant some point. And it is going to give us the capacity to develop new drugs, personalized medicine for every citizen. I was reading about a dog that had cancer, and his owner used ai to develop a personalized treatment that cured the cancer. We are going to see that now across medicine. We are very excited about it.
▶ 1:43:18Sec. Kennedy: Ai is very dangerous, potentially, but has the capacity to bring great things to humanity, particularly in the realm of human health. >> next question I had was around a notice you had consolidating for the big departments and curious about how you think things will operate in the future and the advantages of the consolidations you are looking at?
▶ 1:43:44Sec. Kennedy: >> we are -- we have been working for a year to figure out a sensible way to reorganize the department. I'm just going to give you an example of what we had when I came in.
▶ 1:44:06Sec. Kennedy: We had nine separate offices, women's health, eight separate offices for minority health, 20 separate hiv programs, 59 behavioral health programs, 40 separate opioid programs, 42 maternal health programs, 41 chief information officers, 100 communications offices. 40 procurement departments and dozens of I.t. Departments, none of them talking to each other.
▶ 1:44:36Sec. Kennedy: It was a target rich environment for reorganization to streamline the agency and make it more efficient. We've developed proposals for doing just that. Those proposals we will not do unilaterally. We will not submit them to congress but hopefully congress will agree that is a sensible way to reorganize. >> thank you very much for the courage and energy it takes to take on all that. I yield my time.
▶ 1:45:03Sec. Kennedy: >> we will now recess for a short break. I ask the audience to remain seated while the secretary departs. I imagine it will take about five minutes. The committee stands in brief recess.
▶ 1:51:38Sec. Kennedy: >> the committee will please come to order. Senator hickenlooper. >> thank you. Mr. chair, I would like to ask unanimous consent to enter into the record signed by 155 pediatricians in colorado from all parts of the state expressing their great concerns about vaccine hesitancy and the implications on the future health of colorado kids. >> without objection.
▶ 1:52:08Sec. Kennedy: >> secretary kennedy, measles cases are increasing. I know it has been raised many times. Eight in colorado this year, eight in the number of cases we have seen. All but one this year were unvaccinated individuals. That one only got one shot instead of the two.
▶ 1:52:33Sec. Kennedy: Between february and march of this year, public health officials in colorado spent nearly half $1 million to respond to 10 measles cases impacting two schools in broomfield. I thought I would go through that in adams county, responding to an outbreak of only five cases required approximately 40 caseworkers and contact tracers working together 40 hours a day because there is a huge sense of urgency, seven days a week for more than two weeks.
▶ 1:53:02Sec. Kennedy: Workers had to contact more than 600 people that may have been exposed and these workers and to be 284 people by phone. Public health workers had to access every single contact for immunization status, they had to ask have you been vaccinated? Those who had not been needed to be quarantined for 21 days at an additional expense I'm not including here. They had to prioritize for infants under one. Look at the outbreaks we are seeing.
▶ 1:53:32Sec. Kennedy: In 2025, 48 outbreaks, 2026, 19 outbreaks. I think this work, the contact tracing, keeping people isolated is very onerous to local governments and president trump's cuts to public health funding and health care coverage and research mean that there is not any money left.
▶ 1:54:01Sec. Kennedy: I think we have to ask where is the money going to come from to clean up all of that cost to local government? As a former mayor, that concerns me. Health care system overall has seen $1 trillion in cuts. Just the budget next year shows further cuts. How do you suggest to us the local governments and state governments build back and find those resources?
▶ 1:54:32Sec. Kennedy: >> senator, I think three americans to measles in 20 years, we lose 2 million people, americans, to chronic disease every year. You know what the cost of that is? 4.3 chilean dollars a year. >> you can do two things at once. >> of course we need to do two things at once. We also need to do adequate risk assessments.
▶ 1:55:03Sec. Kennedy: The big enemy of our country is chronic disease, -- >> time on your side on that. I really a healthy diet and taking charge of our own home early on is the best we've got. I agree with all of that. This is separate. I'm also partial to mrna vaccines especially.
▶ 1:55:34Sec. Kennedy: Recently I'm sure you have seen in the news the promising pathway for people with -- patients with pancreatic cancer. As you know, pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. Less then 13% of patients with cancer last over five years. The patients in this trial are still alive six years later. Less than 13% survive beyond five years.
▶ 1:56:04Sec. Kennedy: This trial, they are alive six years later. This is exciting for the scientific research community and the promise of rna research. We still feel hostility to mrna technology and research.
▶ 1:56:20Sec. Kennedy: The termination of 22 projects worth $500 million focused on mrna and your announcement of canceling the projects, and you would shift towards safer broader vaccine platforms, but looking at cancer and canceling projects that are so promising for the certain types of cancer, aren't you worried about throwing the baby out with the bathwater? >> senator, I've authorize 500 million dollars for cancer vaccines.
▶ 1:56:51Sec. Kennedy: And I think mrna is promising technology for cancer vaccines. I terminated the covid vaccines because they did not make any sense. Covid is gone and the mrna vaccine has a limited efficacy against respiratory illnesses. If they had a good efficacy, the industry would pay for them. They made $100 million on the covid vaccine. Why are we paying for vaccines that they don't believe are going to work?
▶ 1:57:21Sec. Kennedy: Because we know they are not going to work. Mrna technology is very promising, certain areas like pancreatic cancer. >> I want to continue to do the research. I want to make sure we focus on some of the basic research that leads to the breakthroughs in things like rna vaccines. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. Nice to see you again.
▶ 1:57:48Sec. Kennedy: I want to start by saying how much I push his efforts to get back on the leash under control, stop direct to consumer advertising. They should be getting federal subsidies for doing this advertising, frequently misleading, bad for consumers. You and the fda have been leading on this. Let me ask you about something I'm concerned about. The department recently elected to allow title x grants to flow to abortion providers for another year.
▶ 1:58:21Sec. Kennedy: Let me contextualize this and give an example for my state as to why this concerns me. You will see over my shoulder, a poster from an actual abortion provider in the state of missouri, an entity called beacon health reproductive network. They just released about $8 million from a title x grant.
▶ 1:58:42Sec. Kennedy: Beacon health, they do more than just refer for abortions, they claim support for all bodies, provide gender affirming care, including the young people, gender transition surgeries. These folks who went to my state legislature and tried to prevent the legislature from writing in the difference between male and female, defining state law, that they oppose our ban and the state of missouri on transgender surgeries for minors. That is kind of folks here.
▶ 1:59:13Sec. Kennedy: They are giving out $8 million in taxpayer funding from the title x program because of the department's decision. When are we going to stop funding people like this? I don't think this entity ought to be getting federal tax money. >> I agree, senator. We paused those five-year grants, there is a year left on them.
▶ 1:59:41Sec. Kennedy: We have looked at the litigation risk and ogc advised us it was very high. So we are paying them out last year, monitoring amendment compliance. I think we are very aligned with your thinking and you will be very happy with it. >> what about the protect life rule?
▶ 2:00:09Sec. Kennedy: Writing that back into regulations that would prevent any going forward, any tax dollars flowing to an abortion provider or refer? >> outside of the hyde amendment's reach? >> yes. >> I'm happy to work with you on that. >> that is important. We should not be funding like this. Personally I think litigation risk.
▶ 2:00:34Sec. Kennedy: I would rather take the risk in litigation then subject children in my state to transgender care funded by federal taxpayer dollars. >> if you look at the new ones, you will be very happy. >> good. >> on a different subject. There are currently in the state of missouri, something like 60 data centers. We have many more that want to come into the state. 4000 data centers currently being built in the U.S., over 3000 are in operation.
▶ 2:01:05Sec. Kennedy: When I go home, I get asked all the time constantly about the health risks around these data centers. I also don't know what to tell them because I don't know what the science is. I will rehearse this for you, these are massive. I think it is 700 megawatts of power. Another 300,000 homes in one year. I get asked constantly things about electromagnetic fields.
▶ 2:01:35Sec. Kennedy: Like having these data centers, multiple high-voltage transformers located in one place. It is a increase cancer risk. People in my state or read is. They worry about decibel levels, causing things like headache, migraine, neurological disorders.
▶ 2:01:53Sec. Kennedy: Is it something that hhs will study to look at the potential health effects to get a handle on what is a health risk, what is not a health risk, so we know what you're dealing with when we talk about thousands of these being built not just in my state, but all over the country? >> yes. And I just want to say I have litigated on this issue. We produced over 10,000 studies.
▶ 2:02:22Sec. Kennedy: And I won the case to get ftc regulations on emfs. There is a range of injuries that are very well documented, grave neurological injuries, cancer risk, making the blood brain barrier permeable so more toxins can get into the brain. The risks, to me, or horrendous.
▶ 2:02:56Sec. Kennedy: But I have asked the surgeon general's office either to new meta-reviews or base studies on these issues so we can better inform the american public. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. >> thank you, chairman. Secretary kennedy, thank you for coming out. Are you familiar with the linen -- limb loss research center? >> remind me what it is.
▶ 2:03:28Sec. Kennedy: >> this is really important, the only federally funded resource center dedicated to providing reliable information support and assistance to those with limb loss and well as limb difference. It doesn't ring a bell? >> no. Individuals with -- >> limb loss. Have you heard of this before? >> know I have not. >> I raise it with you because you are proposing to eliminate it.
▶ 2:03:59Sec. Kennedy: I wanted to ask you why. >> I'm happy to talk to you about it. We have been asked of any cuts across the department of 12%, and I don't think russ vought wants to cut our department, nobody in our department wants to cut it. We have a $39 trillion debt. Maybe there was a conclusion that these are duplicative services.
▶ 2:04:29Sec. Kennedy: >> here's what I will raise. I heard from a disability leader who used this center for resources when they needed help. This budget you are proposing zeros out dedicated funding for this. I also heard from a constituent there and whose wife slipped while exiting a stair lift becoming paralyzed, they relied on support for the paralysis research center, which is also being eliminated under this budget you are proposing.
▶ 2:05:02Sec. Kennedy: Paralysis resource center, limb loss resource center, voting access for people with disabilities, university centers with excellence in developmental disabilities, the developmental disabilities project of national significance. Projects slated for elimination of dedicated funding. Tell me what these programs have in common. >> it sounds like they are programs between disabilities. >> I worry about that immensely.
▶ 2:05:33Sec. Kennedy: Now more than ever, these families I'm talking to are struggling so much. I cannot imagine what some of them are going through. When they are seeing that level of focus on cutting these resources dedicated for them, and I and there's effort to see if they can boost up state level funding. But the dedicated funding is very much on the chopping block.
▶ 2:06:00Sec. Kennedy: I want to ask if you will consider -- if you would reconsider funding for these programs. >> I haven't to talk to your office about that. >> and these are all programs focused on disability, and it worries me there is not a prioritization of supporting the disability community and americans with disability, meanwhile there is conversation, toxin proposals by the administration to remove ida
▶ 2:06:31Sec. Kennedy: From the department of education to your department of health and human services. I heard that from the secretary of education and others. I'm hearing from a lot of families that are profoundly concerned about this kind of shift. I wanted to ask will you oppose the idea and proposal of this move from the department of education to health and human services? >> I will not.
▶ 2:07:00Sec. Kennedy: We are committed to serving the disability -- >> I'm not sure you are because of what I just laid out. >> talking about certain programs, enormous resources throughout the agency, my uncle wrote the americans with disabilities act, my cousin teddy is missing a limb. These are issues I'm offering to talk to you about. We have a $2.3 trillion agency.
▶ 2:07:30Sec. Kennedy: I don't know every cut, there are some we have made mistakes on. I would tell you this. I'm happy to talk to your artist -- to your office about it. >> I will leave with this. This is what I heard from the families. They say if you are moving ida from the department of education to health and human services, who are defining these young students by their disability.
▶ 2:07:58Sec. Kennedy: Engaging them as patients rather than students who have the right as anybody else for opportunity. I just want to point that out. Please do not single out these students and families with disabilities. Just before I finished, I want to ask unanimous consent to submit to the record a press release from the new jersey department of banking and insurance titled "cost increases from washington's in action drives nearly 70,000 new jerseyans to drop health coverage since january."
▶ 2:08:30Sec. Kennedy: >> without objection. >> I yield back. >> secretary kennedy, I think someone in the media told me this is your seventh appearance before a committee testifying. I can't think of any other cabinet secretary, trump cabinet, who has been as transparent as you. I appreciate you being here today, appreciate your service. Not a day goes by I don't hear from a hoosier, mom, who tells me to tell you thank you for your leadership and what you are doing.
▶ 2:09:01Sec. Kennedy: My wife is in the audience, right behind you. She tells me thank you as well. What you do for families all over the country, especially indiana. What message do we have as we wind down the committee for families that are counting on you and this team to make america healthy again? >> people have been talking about measles all day long. When my uncle was president, we spent zero on chronic disease.
▶ 2:09:32Sec. Kennedy: Now we spent $4.3 trillion at my agency. Social security spend more, altogether, $.48 out of every tax dollar paid to the federal government is going to health, 90% to chronic disease. It is an existential issue. We have the highest chronic disease burden of any country in the world. 77% of american kids cannot qualify for military service. It is a national defense issue as well.
▶ 2:10:03Sec. Kennedy: Diabetes, juvenile diabetes, 238% of our teams, prediabetic. Autism rates have gone from one in 10,000 in 1970, 1 in every 31 today. We need to do something to protect our children. This has to be our top priority. Infectious disease is important.
▶ 2:10:28Sec. Kennedy: One of my jobs is to make sure to stem the outbreaks which I've done with measles better than any country in the world. We also can't just talk about that an exclusion to the thing that is really killing our country, it is just poor health. During covert, we had the highest death rate of any country on earth. The highest. We did worse with covid than any nation in the world.
▶ 2:10:54Sec. Kennedy: We had a death rate of 3000 per million. Other countries had 14 deaths per million population for covid. When you ask cdc why did these people die from covid? Americans more than anyone else say it is because of our chronic disease epidemic. The average american died of three point eight chronic diseases. It was not an infectious disease that was killing healthy people. It was killing sick people.
▶ 2:11:25Sec. Kennedy: The connection between chronic disease and infectious disease is there for everybody to see, but everybody ignores it. Every democrat in this committee, all he wanted to do is talk about measles. For years I have talked about trying to reform the food, I'm doing it now. They are doing everything in their power to impede me from doing it. It is all partisanship, tribalism, and it is not real.
▶ 2:11:55Sec. Kennedy: >> it is crazy, I listen to their questions over and over again, you have made so much progress, yet the democrats have tried to obstruct everything you talked about trying to do to make this country healthier. It is totally shameful. There are so many things we have yet, in the time we have left with U.S. sec. And president trump in the white house, things to get done. One thing we have talked about before his what china has done to dominate the pharmaceutical industry.
▶ 2:12:25Sec. Kennedy: Last year, 42% of clinical drug trials were conducted in china. Used to be 100% of them conducted in the U.S. what are drug companies getting out of that? Talk about the threat of those drug trials occurring in china instead of a safer environment in the U.S. >> faster clinical trials over there.
▶ 2:12:50Sec. Kennedy: Because we have a system that was designed -- typically, a drug from conception to commercialization because the regulatory process takes 15 years. We can't afford to do that anymore. >> is a true they are less safe? >> they are less safe. And they are breaking all kinds of ethical rules.
▶ 2:13:19Sec. Kennedy: Shanghai, minority groups in china that participate in chart -- trials I don't want to participate in. More importantly, we need to compress. The time from constant commercialization in this country we have a bill we will put to address the phase one trial and make it all a seamless phase one, phase two, phase three. >> thank you for your leadership, Mr. secretary.
▶ 2:13:51Sec. Kennedy: >> I will say I looked up the mckinley articles. 3.5 million cases of measles per year before the vaccine came along at about 550 deaths. The vaccine took those to less than 100 and like zero deaths. The paper was written before 1950. Which is before the vaccine came out.
▶ 2:14:21Sec. Kennedy: Then the vaccine came out, cases went from 3.5 million down to near zero. Deaths went to zero from 550 a year. Tremendous impact to the vaccination. >> thank you so much, Mr. scher. Good afternoon, secretary. You are familiar with aaron siri. >> yes I am. >> that is because he served both as your lawyer in your personal capacity, and he's a lawyer for an anti-vaccine group, as well.
▶ 2:14:53Sec. Kennedy: Is Mr. siri on the federal government payroll? >> no he is not. >> I find that interesting, because he is apparently having an outsized influence on you, and according to her testimony, Dr. monterey as last august said during a contentious argument with you, a conversation that you told her to talk to Mr.
▶ 2:15:15Sec. Kennedy: Siri so she can fall in line with his vaccine policies, we are now a legal and discredited vaccination committee, and you signed an updated charter for the advisory committee on immunization practices to focus on vaccine risk after urging you to do so. Despite him not being on the government payroll, it looks like for you, he is a top advisor in your agency.
▶ 2:15:47Sec. Kennedy: Last month, Mr. siri threatened to sue you if you did not add hundreds of health conditions to the vaccine injury compensation programs, and just like that you removed members of the advisory commission on childhood vaccinations to pave the way for changes. I have to ask you, Mr. secretary, who is running this department? Aaron siri, you,?
▶ 2:16:14Sec. Kennedy: >> he has nothing to do with the vaccine court, nothing -- >> is he running the department, are you running the department? He has a huge apparent influence. >> you are just filled with mischaracterizations. If you want to ask me something about -- will. Like you are going to grandstand. Lexie's gone public with the whole thing, he's gone on ask.
▶ 2:16:48Sec. Kennedy: In fact he wrote I have no doubt rfk jr., this is his quote, wants to update the table and the only reason he would not is the white house won't let him. If the white house preventing you from updating the table? >> serious american citizen, he has a right to say what he wants. >> I'm just asking you is the white house preventing you from updating this? >> hitting the vaccine -- they are not.
▶ 2:17:20Sec. Kennedy: >> regarding the new cdc, part of the new team that you said would revolutionize the cdc -- Mr. siri said it would likely be a disaster. The only thing to usual, left to your own devices. And that she is the queen of mandating vaccines. So is aaron siri wrong about the new nominee nor is the president?
▶ 2:17:49Sec. Kennedy: >> I guess aaron siri doesn't have much influence on the after all, does he? You can't have it both ways. Saying outside influence on it. He's suing me and criticizing me for a policy I have made. Outside influence or not. You are arguing out of both sides of your mouth. >> Mr. secretary, my next question. You have had trouble with the truth.
▶ 2:18:19Sec. Kennedy: I have seen it myself during your appearances in congress. We saw during your exchange last week with congresswoman soul. Can you admit every black kid can get re-parented on a wellness farm? Can you admit you said that? >> did not get reparented -- >> you said every black kid is now just standard, put on adderall and ssris, benzos, known to induce violence.
▶ 2:18:50Sec. Kennedy: Can go somewhere, and reparented to live in a community where there will be no cell phones, no screens. You went on to say, the whole transcript was even worse, you said if you could, would send every black. , your words, not mine, to go live on farms and work. >> I would have to see the recording. I have no memory of saying anything like that. >> I actually have the recording that I can give to you. It is absolutely what you said.
▶ 2:19:22Sec. Kennedy: If you want me to play it, I can. >> if you ask me what my opinion is, I do not believe every black it should be reparented on a wellness farm or whatever, and I've never believed that. >> you said it. I have the video. >> I'm telling you I don't believe it. That is not my vision for our country. >> I'm glad, because it is dangerous and responsible to have said. >> if I said it, I apologize, but I have to see the transcript.
▶ 2:19:55Sec. Kennedy: >> senator markey. >> Mr. secretary, holding corporations accountable for threatening americans health is a fact of your agenda. The main ingredient in pesticide such as roundup made by monsanto is harmful to human health.
▶ 2:20:24Sec. Kennedy: In 2018, you helped win a $290 million verdict against monsanto on behalf of dwayne johnson, a school groundskeeper who developed cancer after using round up afterwards, you said "the jury found monsanto knew what they were doing was wrong and doing it with reckless disregard for human health. So let's fast-forward.
▶ 2:20:55Sec. Kennedy: Your report from may of 2025 sites studies linking -- to cancer. Yet strangely, only four months later, in september of 2025, your second report did not even mention clay once. What happened during those four months?
▶ 2:21:17Sec. Kennedy: The ceo of bear, which owns monsanto, which makes roundup met multiple times with the white house. Mr. secretary, yes or no, were you aware of those meetings between monsanto and the white house? >> no. >> you should have been.
▶ 2:21:38Sec. Kennedy: The white house never tried to issue me on that issue. >> Mr. secretary, I believe you are aware of the court case, monsanto versus grenell, which is before the supreme court next monday. Here is the background. Monsanto is asking the court to protect them from lawsuits filed by cancer patients.
▶ 2:22:08Sec. Kennedy: Lawsuits that you helped lead just like your former client. Just last month in march, president trump in a brief asked the supreme court to side with monsanto. And monsanto was thrilled. Mr. secretary, yes or no, where you consulted before the administration filed that brief?
▶ 2:22:27Sec. Kennedy: Yes. And I opposed it. So do you agree with president trump trying to protect monsanto?
▶ 2:22:37Sec. Kennedy: I don't think he is trying to protect monsanto. I think he is trying to protect the 80% of american farmers who are addicted to life estate -- glyphosate? >> I think your answer should be no, you don't. Because you know it will endanger the health of americans who are going to be exposed.
▶ 2:23:02Sec. Kennedy: I have always said that. >> that is where this case is right now.
▶ 2:23:07Sec. Kennedy: Happy to explain or you can grandstand like you are doing. >> no, you cannot, I'm asking the questions.
▶ 2:23:18Sec. Kennedy: If you want to question me, you can do so, or you can grandstand. >> in 20, you said "in my life, -- you said come in 2020, if my life were a superman comic, monsanto would be lexa luther because I feel like I have been struggling against it my whole life.
▶ 2:23:39Sec. Kennedy: In that same interview, 2020, you recounted that president trump, during the trial in 2020 message sent a message saying, we have got your back. Will you tell president trump that he is wrong to have monsanto's back instead of the backs of the american people?
▶ 2:23:59Sec. Kennedy: I have already expressed my disagreement to the president about this issue. >> despite the decades that you have spend shouting that glides of and montana --glyphosate in on santa are killing americans, this is the first we have heard because you have been silenced with regards to trump down shielding.
▶ 2:24:25Sec. Kennedy: I have not been silent you are mistaken. >> I can't find any evidence that you have said -- >> I said publicly just now and I said it in hearings all week and I said it before, publicly.
▶ 2:24:38Sec. Kennedy: >> well, from my perspective, this is a pivotal moment where it seems to me that the only immunization you now support is helping to immunize montana -- monsanto from accountability. This is a major battle that should be going on inside the administration and thus far, you have been silent.
▶ 2:25:04Sec. Kennedy: I have not been silent. >> it is your job as a member of the president's cabinet to speak up on behalf of americans health in this instance. I don't think there is enough evidence to convict you, having had --
▶ 2:25:20Sec. Kennedy: It was a national security consideration the president, that is part of his job. >> newer not like superman. You are more like crypto and -- more like kryptonite. Which is helping to poison americans.
▶ 2:25:40Chair Cassidy: I have a couple quick follow-ups, secretary. Seafood -- if these products are found to be unsafe, currently, fda is unable to confiscate it. Should we give the fda the authority to confiscate unsafe imported foods to basically prevent it from being imported through another port and bypassing our customs officials?
▶ 2:26:11Chair Cassidy: Would you agree that that would be a good authority for the fda to have? 5 sec. Kennedy: he should have
▶ 2:26:16Sec. Kennedy: . True of -- because the epa cannot confiscate those adulterated products, they are not legally allowed to, the ships come in, and then they go to another port and they are now coming from a U.S. port for their own inspection. It is completely ridiculous.
▶ 2:26:42Chair Cassidy: We are going to work to give fda that authority. Thank you for your agreement. This builds on something senator hawley asked earlier. The reports of federally funded community health centers performing gender transition services on children and vulnerable adults.
▶ 2:27:03Chair Cassidy: Earlier this year, bipartisan, congress gave funding, and we will have to decide providing at the end of the year, were you aware of these reports about health centers performing gender transition services?
▶ 2:27:15Sec. Kennedy: No. I've strongly supported the extra support for those centers are this is the first I'm hearing that.
▶ 2:27:22Chair Cassidy: Got at. Can I ask if you could assess if these health centers have violated federal laws or policy? I'm told doj actually defends these folks in lawsuits. They are disobeying an executive order not to do this, and then doj defends them. It would be nice to unravel that.
▶ 2:27:46Sec. Kennedy: That would shock me. But I've been shocked before. I can't see doj at this time doing that.
▶ 2:27:55Chair Cassidy: Under the good samaritan provision. We will send a letter about this and I look forward to working with you.
▶ 2:28:02Sec. Kennedy: I look forward to hearing about it.
▶ 2:28:03Chair Cassidy: We will ask the audience to stay seated until the secretary departs. For any senator wishing to ask additional questions, questions for the record will be due 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, may 6. I think the secretary for being here. The committee stands adjourned. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit