'Ignoring That Means Ignoring The Law': Patty Murray Grills Top HHS Nominee

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At Thursday's Senate Health Committee hearing, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) questioned James O'Neill, nominee ot be Deputy HHS Secretary.

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00:00Mr. Chairman I just want you to know the Trump administration fired many of the

00:04CDC port health station staff in fact at SeaTac in my state there used to be

00:09four. They are the person that screened travelers at the ports of any entry so

00:16if we don't have people there to screen even a mandate would make it very

00:20difficult to assure that so I share your concern but I also think we have to

00:25personnel there to do it with that Mr. O'Neill we are knowing we know right now

00:32that at HHS there's they're undertaking a massive reorganization firing staff

00:37canceling and terminating thousands of grants and contracts worth billions of

00:42dollars delaying sending that grant funding out including by the way for

00:46life-saving biomedical research and meanwhile HHS is currently I know you're

00:52not there yet but they are refused fusing to provide basic answers to many of

00:57our straightforward questions they are canceling long-standing briefings and

01:02they're telling Congress and virtually the American public nothing about these

01:07dramatic unprecedented changes last week HHS submitted an operating plan for fiscal

01:13year 25 required by law and it leaves it blank the funding levels for 530 programs

01:21we're left blank the department is effectively telling us it doesn't have

01:26to tell us or the American people anything about how it is going to spend

01:30tens of billions of dollars taxpayer dollars across hundreds of programs and

01:35that is really stunning to me in my time of Congress I have never seen an

01:39administration less transparent than this one eyes I've also never seen an

01:44administration so insistent I'm pretending they are transparent while going

01:49out of there what way to hide basic information that we require so mr. O'Neill I

01:54want to ask you if you are confirmed will you commit to prior tours prioritizing real

02:00transparency and sharing information with Congress and the American public about

02:05what HHS is doing thank you for the questions senator it's lovely to see you I was a

02:12Senate staffer in the 1990s we had a few pleasant interactions I don't expect you to

02:16remember but yes I have a kind of visceral sense that it's Congress that

02:22authorizes all the programs at HHS it's Congress that appropriates the money for

02:26HHS Congress absolutely deserves to have prompt and accurate information both

02:32proactively about future plans and also in reply to questions whether it's

02:38testimony or written questions and yes I commit if confirmed to ensure that the

02:45whole department takes seriously its obligation to provide good transparent

02:50accurate prompt information to Congress well I appreciate that answer I'm not

02:55holding my breath because I haven't seen it happen yet but mr. chairman I want you to

02:59know I am focused on real transparency here this department is not above

03:04congressional oversight and we have a responsibility and need to help hold all

03:11the agencies accountable so this is something I'm tracking very closely I

03:14wanted to ask you quickly too about women's health the plan to gut HHS is a

03:22disaster for health and safety but it is based it seems to me on a total lack of

03:27understanding about how different agencies across the department work for

03:31example senator Kennedy seems to think we shouldn't have more than one office

03:35that covers women's health well women's health requires dedicated focus in

03:40different areas for example workforce training at HRSA cancer prevention at CDC

03:47scientific research at NIH those are separate and distinct efforts addressing

03:53women's health which has long been underfunded but because of Congress's

03:57dedicated bipartisan investments we've been able to make progress so if you are

04:02confirmed will you commit to restoring women's health functions across HHS and

04:08directing the department to spend an appropriated funds for women's health

04:13as directed by Congress thank you for the question senator obviously women's

04:18health is will continue to be a critical issue is distinct from men's health in

04:23many significant ways the principles of the secretary outline for the proposed

04:28reorg said that any reorg would be based on the on preserving all the central

04:38functions of the department ensuring that they continue and that they're

04:41executed on well as as mandated by statute and also the principal their two

04:46functions make more sense to be conducted within the same agency or office that

04:53that could make sense it also makes sense to me that if functions are closely

04:57similar perhaps we should consider putting them in the same office well I I would

05:01just say mr. chairman women's health isn't just one little corner we are

05:06affected women are affected by many different ways including as I said

05:10through workforce training through cancer prevention through scientific research

05:14different agencies those offices all do very different things there's a reason

05:20why Congress passed funding for each one of them ignoring that means ignoring the law

05:26the law thank you mr. chairman senator moody thank you sir thank you for being

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