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Budget Hearings - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

House Appropriations Labor, HHS, Education, & Related Agencies Subcommittee; Senate HELP Committee

May 14th, 2025 (House Hearing linked here, Senate Hearing linked here)

WITNESS & TESTIMONY

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services

HEARING HIGHLIGHTS

MEMBER OPENING STATEMENTS (both House and Senate)

• Rep. Aderholt, Chair of the House Appropriations Labor, HHS, & Education Subcommittee, opened by praising President Trump’s border security actions, citing a 54% drop in fentanyl seizures and reduced trafficking of unaccompanied minors as public health wins. He commended Secretary Kennedy’s push to reform HHS, particularly the creation of the Administration for Healthy America. Aderholt emphasized bipartisan alignment around the need for reform at agencies like NIH and welcomed the Secretary’s proposals to improve efficiency and accountability.

• Rep. DeLauro, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Labor, HHS, & Education Subcommittee, strongly opposed the proposed $33 billion cut to HHS, calling it dangerous and politically motivated. She accused the Trump administration of gutting key agencies like NIH, CDC, and FDA to fund tax breaks for billionaires. DeLauro cited mass layoffs, halted research, and cuts to vaccine and food safety programs. She warned the U.S. is being left vulnerable to public health threats and pledged to fight the reorganization.

• Sen. Cassidy, Chair of the Senate HELP Committee, called for urgent reform at HHS to reduce bureaucracy and improve access to lifesaving care. He welcomed Secretary Kennedy’s appearance and praised the administration’s effort to modernize the department. Cassidy emphasized the need to maintain critical programs while consolidating others, especially those tied to bipartisan laws like opioid prevention and maternal health. He urged Kennedy to clearly explain how reforms would benefit Americans and preserve trust in HHS.

• Sen. Sanders, Ranking Member of the Senate HELP Committee, agreed the health system is broken but argued the solution is universal health care, not privatization or cuts. He criticized industry profits, massive executive pay, and a shortage of frontline providers. Sanders condemned the administration’s cuts to NIH, vaccine programs, and global health funding, warning of deadly consequences. He urged bipartisan legislation to lower drug prices and reinvest in public health research and care.

WITNESS OPENING STATEMENT

• Secretary Kennedy presented the FY2026 HHS budget as a plan to combat chronic disease, modernize services, and reduce spending through smarter resource allocation. He pledged to preserve core programs like Medicare and Medicaid while shifting funds from bureaucracy to direct care, particularly for underserved rural and tribal communities. Kennedy outlined key reforms including consolidating addiction and mental health efforts, expanding nutrition programs, enhancing FDA food safety oversight, and cutting controversial research such as gain-of-function and gender ideology studies. He promised to restore transparency and public trust in HHS, describing the reorganization as both compassionate and fiscally responsible, and invited Congress to collaborate on making America healthy again.

HOUSE QUESTION AND ANSWER SUMMARY

• Rep. Aderholt addressed concerns on abortion policy and rural hospitals, and requested collaboration on the area wage index issue. Secretary Kennedy affirmed his commitment to pro-life principles, Title X restrictions, and pledged to work with Congress on statutory reforms to protect rural hospitals.

• Rep. DeLauro challenged the proposed NIH cuts and alleged withholding of congressionally appropriated funds, accusing the administration of undermining science and public health. Secretary Kennedy denied withholding funds and reaffirmed that he would follow the law, although he emphasized the White House’s proposed cuts and a reorganization that transferred rather than eliminated programs.

• Rep. Simpson emphasized the importance of traditional diets in tribal communities. Secretary Kennedy highlighted his long-standing work with tribal nations and pledged support for protecting tribal health systems and promoting traditional, healthy foods.

• Rep. Hoyer pressed on whether budgets passed by Congress were mandates, not suggestions. Secretary Kennedy agreed that appropriated funds must be spent and acknowledged his responsibility to follow the law.

• Rep. Fleischmann expressed appreciation for cooperation with Oak Ridge and raised concerns about synthetic food dye regulations and 340B program oversight. Secretary Kennedy responded that certain dyes would be phased out with industry cooperation and confirmed understanding of 340B’s importance while noting legal limits due to a court order.

• Rep. Pocan explored shared goals on nutrition and natural health but expressed concern about the removal of an LGBTQ+ youth button from the 988 hotline and Medicare Advantage overpayments. Secretary Kennedy committed to discussions on the hotline’s design and expressed support for Medicare Advantage, though he acknowledged concerns about cost.

• Rep. Bice praised Oklahoma’s research foundation and inquired about HHS efforts to attract biotech researchers. Secretary Kennedy outlined efforts to reform FDA pathways, phase out animal testing, and adopt AI tools to accelerate biomedical innovation.

• Rep. Frankel condemned the scope and method of agency cuts and asked whether Congress had been consulted. Secretary Kennedy acknowledged little direct consultation but denied the cuts were ideologically driven, asserting they targeted redundancy and bloat.

• Rep. Watson Coleman criticized the removal of diversity-related terms and minority health offices. Secretary Kennedy said most programs remained intact and emphasized the administration’s commitment to color-blind administration and maternal health funding.

• Rep. Moolenaar asked about U.S. dependency on Chinese biotech and emergency preparedness. Secretary Kennedy strongly agreed on reducing Chinese supply chain reliance and outlined efforts to restore domestic pharmaceutical production and improve BARDA's strategic capabilities.

• Rep. Harder questioned Medicaid cuts, highlighting how his constituents relied on it for addiction treatment. Secretary Kennedy argued the proposed Medicaid reforms targeted fraud and abuse, not deserving recipients, though the two disagreed sharply over the facts.

• Rep. Harris supported the focus on nutrition and asked about NIH’s underinvestment in the field. Secretary Kennedy stressed the need to refocus NIH on disease prevention through nutrition research and better public transparency about food risks.

• Rep. Ellzey shared concerns about child trafficking and school nutrition, urging local food autonomy. Secretary Kennedy described HHS coordination with law enforcement to find missing children and supported simple, local nutrition guidelines.

• Rep. Letlow raised women's health disparities and rural healthcare gaps in Louisiana. Secretary Kennedy affirmed his commitment to maternal health programs, clinical trial equity, and rural telehealth expansion through AI and mobile diagnostics.

• Rep. Dean challenged the plan to reorganize SAMHSA amid declining overdose deaths. Secretary Kennedy insisted SAMHSA's work would continue under a more efficient structure and emphasized his personal commitment to addiction treatment.

• Rep. Clyde condemned the administration’s handling of unaccompanied minors and asked about child trafficking. Secretary Kennedy cited Inspector General data and described newly implemented vetting, DNA testing, and a criminal task force to address it.

SENATE QUESTION AND ANSWER SUMMARY

• Sen. Cassidy questioned how HHS would support long COVID research following office closures, address NIH budget constraints amid rising neurodegenerative diseases, and handle block grant cuts to states; Secretary Kennedy assured continued research support, stated most NIH cuts were administrative, and emphasized that local responses can outperform federal ones while CDC retains national responsibility.

• Sen. Sanders pressed on lowering drug prices, declaring healthcare a human right, and criticized Medicaid cuts paired with billionaire tax breaks; Kennedy agreed on drug price reforms, framed healthcare as a public good rather than a right, disputed Medicaid cut estimates, and differentiated between presidential and congressional proposals.

• Sen. Paul criticized NIH for wasteful grants and supported budget cuts, then raised concerns about a biosafety breach and gain-of-function research; Secretary Kennedy confirmed FBI involvement in the breach, endorsed halting dangerous research, and committed to transparency and oversight, noting multiple intelligence agencies link past NIH work to the COVID-19 outbreak.

• Sen. Murray condemned NIH staffing cuts for delaying cancer treatment for a constituent and undermining occupational safety programs; Secretary Kennedy promised to follow up personally on the case, affirmed that clinical trials were not intended to be disrupted, and said critical NIOSH work would continue despite workforce reductions.

• Sen. Collins warned that HHS staff cuts threaten the BOLD Act for Alzheimer’s care and opposed the NIH’s new cap on indirect research costs; Secretary Kennedy said the affected programs were reassigned under reorganization, expressed personal commitment to Alzheimer’s research, and explained the 15% cap was to curb abuses at wealthy institutions, with flexibility for public universities.

• Sen. Baldwin criticized the lack of transparency in HHS's budget and condemned the elimination of the CDC’s lead poisoning prevention branch and delays in Head Start funding; Secretary Kennedy acknowledged lead poisoning as serious, denied plans to eliminate the program, promised to spend appropriated funds, and blamed internal resistance for Head Start disruptions, pledging to investigate.

• Sen. Murkowski expressed concern about RIF impacts on tribal programs, marine safety, domestic violence funding delays, and elimination of LIHEAP; Secretary Kennedy welcomed collaboration on marine safety, claimed domestic violence funds weren’t cut, and said LIHEAP was based on assumptions of lower energy prices but promised to maintain support if prices remained high.

• Sen. Murphy highlighted public statements undermining the measles vaccine. Secretary Kennedy said he supported informed consent and had in fact recommended the measles vaccine.

• Sen. Marshall defended nuanced vaccine recommendations based on patient circumstances and asked about HHS’s role in guidance. Secretary Kennedy explained recommendations come from advisory committees and criticized past safety testing standards, pledging reforms for more rigorous safety studies.

• Sen. Kaine traced the timeline of mass layoffs at HHS and pressed on responsibility and the impact on veterans and agency performance. Secretary Kennedy admitted involvement in the April layoffs, said he canceled some cuts, and promised to provide data on veterans affected, while Kaine cited reduced responsiveness to constituent cases as a consequence.

• Sen. Husted asked about preventive health and fiscal responsibility. Secretary Kennedy linked national debt to health outcomes, cited reforms to SNAP and dietary guidelines, and emphasized shifting HHS toward proactive health measures using modern tools like AI and telemedicine.

• Sen. Hassan asked for a clear promotion on the measles vaccination and demanded the firing of David Geier due to past misconduct with children. Secretary Kennedy affirmed support for the vaccine, denied Geier oversaw autism research, claimed Geier’s past charges were overturned, and said he was hired by a contractor to validate vaccine safety data access.

• Sen. Hawley sought support to end tax deductions for pharmaceutical advertising. Secretary Kennedy confirmed the FDA review was underway, said the label likely needed revision, and fully endorsed legislation to eliminate tax breaks for drug ads.

• Sen. Hickenlooper questioned on cuts to basic scientific research and firefighter safety, urging protection of NIH and NIOSH programs. Secretary Kennedy emphasized the potential of AI to enhance research efficiency, acknowledged the pain of certain cuts, and agreed to collaborate on wildfire health protections.

• Sen. Banks applauded the autism registry initiative and raised privacy concerns and research direction. Secretary Kennedy confirmed the registry is voluntary and depersonalized, reiterated his belief in environmental contributors to autism, and stated funding should shift from genetics to environmental causes, while also praising efforts to reshore drug manufacturing with Eli Lilly.

• Sen. Markey condemned deep cuts to NIH, CDC, and SAMHSA, linking them to personal stories of constituents and calling it a betrayal of national health priorities. Secretary Kennedy defended the realignment by citing worsening health outcomes despite increased budgets and argued for systemic change, not more spending.

• Sen. Moody praised the focus on efficiency and pressed on illicit Chinese vape imports and outdated citrus regulations. Secretary Kennedy committed to cracking down on unregulated Chinese vapes and pledged quick action on adjusting orange juice sugar content standards.

• Sen. Kim demanded answers about cuts to the World Trade Center Health Program and firefighter cancer registry. Secretary Kennedy admitted mistakes were made in rapid agency cuts but confirmed the WTC program would continue and agreed to work with Kim on restoring the firefighter registry.

• Sen. Scott praised sickle cell research developments and asked for assurances on maintaining minority health programs outside of DEI frameworks. Secretary Kennedy confirmed most programs would continue and highlighted South Carolina’s success in affordable sickle cell treatment.

  Sen. Scott then asked about food additives and chronic disease prevention. Secretary Kennedy explained that NIH and FDA would now prioritize studying harmful additives and ultra-processed foods to improve national nutrition.

• Sen. Blunt Rochester expressed concern over painful program cuts, delays in vaccine committee meetings, and the lack of responses to oversight letters; Secretary Kennedy confirmed CDC leadership changes and affirmed he would act with compassion moving forward.

• Sen. Alsobrooks sharply criticized the administration’s lack of knowledge on program specifics and controversial cuts to maternal and infant health programs, reproductive health, and Special Olympics-related CDC funding; Secretary Kennedy denied eliminating working scientists, said some programs were consolidated rather than cut, and defended restructuring efforts to reduce inefficiency.

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