00:00Marky. Thank you. Mr. Secretary, all I've been hearing from you today is your defense of and
00:07advocacy for brutal cuts to Medicaid, brutal cuts to NIH research to find the cure for Alzheimer's
00:16and cancer and other diseases, brutal cuts to community health centers, brutal cuts to the CDC,
00:24the early warning system for diseases, and all to find the funding for tax cuts for billionaires
00:33and millionaires. That's all I've been hearing. And it is absolutely unbelievable that the Secretary
00:42of Health and Human Services can sit before the Health Committee and make such an argument. So,
00:48Secretary Kennedy, for months I've been hearing from people about the impact that you and Donald
00:54Trump have had on them. And for months I've been sharing their stories and I've compiled them here.
01:01And Mr. Chairman, I'd like to include my Make America Sick agenda. Without objection. Included in the record.
01:08Thank you. This is a set of stories that are being told to me that I would like to relate to you.
01:16Jennifer, who's from Massachusetts, is a stage four cancer patient. There is no cure for her diagnosis.
01:23Her life depends on federal investment in research and for clinical trials to continue uninterrupted to
01:31find a cure for Jennifer with NIH funding. She's right to be worried. I heard from Henry in Rhode Island
01:42who wants a continued funding for cancer research, where he works. He's worried about getting fired because the lab's NIH grants under new leadership were cut. He wants to work on cancer research to find the cure for Jennifer. You've already terminated $1.8 billion in NIH funding, which for Jennifer should really stand for National Institutes of Hope.
02:11She's losing hope. You're defending a 40% cut, Ms. Secretary, in research for Alzheimer's, for cancer, for stroke, for diabetes, for mental health.
02:21They're being slowed. They're being slashed. And I understand streamlining. But this is not streamlining. It is a bludgeoning of our health future and a giveaway of our global scientific leadership. And it will be people like Jennifer who will pay the price.
02:38Lou from Massachusetts. He wrote to me about his son who died of an overdose. He said his son, Zach, was, quote, a loving and loved family member who had the illness of addiction.
02:51He wants research to cure this disease, funding for treatment without stigma, support for health workers, serving people with addiction to prevent any other family member from suffering from the same fate.
03:04Can you honestly tell us or tell him, actually, that you can cut $1 billion from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, including funding for programs to teach first responders how to use Naloxone to help to guarantee that other parents not lose their children?
03:26Can you honestly tell me that the cuts you have already made to addiction treatment across the country will make anyone healthier? How can you justify a $1 billion cut to Substance Abuse and Mental Health?
03:37Mr. Secretary.
03:39Senator Markey.
03:40Senator Markey, you weren't here when I was talking earlier, but one of the things that I've talked about is that the budget for my agency increased by 38 percent over the Biden administration.
03:52And Americans got sicker and more Americans overdosed and more Americans died from cancer. And we have now an epidemic of colorectal cancers in our children. And the chronic disease rate has now gone up to 60 percent. The autism rate has dropped to one in 31 children.
04:09And all that money that was supposed to cure those diseases or have hurt them, none of it worked. All we need is leadership and a new vision. And I'm bringing that to my agency.
04:21And I'm realigning my agency.
04:23President Trump is negotiating with the Chinese about keeping fentanyl out of our country.
04:29Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?
04:31In the meantime, we can't be cutting the programs for the people who are already suffering from opioid-related diseases. We can't cut the programs. Yes, it would be great if we could cut it. It would be great if we could reduce it.
04:47While we're waiting for that to happen, why would we cut $1 billion from the programs that go to the families that have the substance abuse issues right now? Why would we cut it now before we get a solution to the problem?
05:02First of all, most of the programs that support addiction, including naltrexone, narcon, suboxone, methadone, housing. We operate under 500 rehabs that give people access under Medicaid. We are keeping those intact.
05:25We have President Trump, because of his leadership, has dropped the fentanyl imports from this country because of his leadership at the border by 40%.
05:35So we're actually doing more with less. And we are going to continue to do that. And what I'm doing at my agency is I'm realigning all these perverse incentives.
05:45I've driven up costs and driven down health. I'm realigning so that people can make money in this country and markets can make money.
05:53Look at 80,000 people died last year. This is not about efficiency. This is about cruelty. Cutting these programs.
06:01These people are already addicted. These people already need help.
