Mike Crapo Defends Sec. Kennedy After Alsobrooks Calls For His Resignation During Blistering Tirade

Forbes Breaking News

During remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday, Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) defended HHS Secretary Kennedy after Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) called for him to step down.

Transcript

00:00Thank you, Madam President. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services,

00:06is presenting a clear and present danger to the health and well-being of the American people.

00:11He oversees 13 agencies that are critical to U.S. health policy and the health of our nation.

00:19One such agency, the National Institutes of Health, is the world's leading agency for public health

00:25research, and I am proud to represent many of the scientists who work there as the senator from

00:31Maryland. This is the place that the nation looks to for discoveries in public health.

00:37This is where the world looks to to fight global health crises. This is the beacon of American

00:43exceptionalism. Over the last 40 years, NIH has helped reduce deaths from heart disease by 75%.

00:51Deaths from stroke are down 75%. And NIH funding has led the fight to save countless lives with

01:00groundbreaking discoveries. NIH is the greatest credit to sustained medical research in history.

01:09But now we're dealing with an administration that is a direct threat to our health. Since Donald Trump

01:16has taken office, NIH has fired 1,300 employees and has canceled more than $2 billion in federal research

01:25grants. He wants to cut the NIH budget by 40%. And these cuts would be carried out by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,

01:35one of the most unqualified individuals that we've seen to hold that position. Secretary Kennedy took an oath

01:43to faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which he was about to enter. And to this point,

01:49he has utterly failed and is making Americans sicker. Look at what he's done in just four months.

01:57We are currently watching the largest single measles outbreak in our nation in 25 years. 25 years.

02:06One thousand cases and a third of them are children younger than five years old. Three people have died,

02:14including two young children. For years, Secretary Kennedy, without an ounce of medical training,

02:22has spread lies and conspiracy theories about safe and effective vaccines. Vaccines that literally prevent

02:30measles. A qualified HHS secretary would highlight the effectiveness of vaccines and urge people to

02:38continue getting vaccinated. A capable secretary would have some sense of compassion for suffering

02:45children. The secretary we have instead chose to downplay the deaths and encourage untested treatments.

02:52This is dangerous. Americans will get sicker. And in fact, they already have. Our nation has made incredible

03:01gains in IVF and infertility treatment, raising the birth rate through IVF dramatically over the last 30

03:10years. But just last month, Secretary Kennedy fired the entire team at CDC who works on IVF and infertility

03:19research. Secretary Kennedy fired most of the employees at the CDC's Division of Reproductive Health,

03:27which helps to promote healthy pregnancies. And Secretary Kennedy fired staff at the Maternal and Child

03:34Health Bureau, which oversees important programs that support children and pregnant women. Countless women

03:42across the country have become mothers thanks to the incredible advancements in IVF. And a good number of

03:48this president's women supporters supported him because he vowed to make the treatment more accessible. How

03:56dare this man take that away from them? Our nation has made great progress in the fight to eliminate HIV and

04:05AIDS, building on an understanding of how to treat the virus and getting closer to finding a cure. Until now.

04:13Secretary Kennedy has now cut funding for dozens of HIV related research grants. Did you know that

04:22there's a national firefighter registry that was set up to study the link between the hazards of the job

04:28and firefighters developing cancers? Well, that registry has now been taken down at Secretary Kennedy's

04:36Bidding. This is a part of a heartless trend. They're destroying what decades of research has built. The

04:45billions in funding cuts and thousands of staff cuts threatened the race to find cures for Alzheimer's,

04:52ALS, cancer and other devastating illnesses. The impact will be felt far beyond our borders and it will be

05:01generational. For decades we have taken the lead on the global stage in research and development. We've

05:08taken the lead in fighting global health challenges. Many of the world's brightest researchers come here to

05:14join the fight. The top research agencies around the world partner with us. Public health is a responsibility

05:22that we must lead. RFK is single-handedly destroying that reputation, setting us back potentially decades.

05:32The eyes of the world are on us. Most look to us to lead. Some look for us to stumble, but they're

05:40watching to see what we do. Having Secretary Kennedy as the face of our nation's health and research

05:47operations sends a terrible message to the rest of the world and a terrifying one to the American people.

05:55He's in over his head. He cannot do the job and he needs to step down for the health of our nation.

06:02And to my colleagues, we took an oath as well. We have a duty. A duty to do what is right. And we know

06:11that RFK Jr. is not right for America. I want to thank my colleague and partner here in Maryland,

06:19Senator Van Hollen, as well as Senators Wyden and Warren for joining me in this effort.

06:29Madam President. Senator from Idaho. Madam President, I'll now explain the reason for my objection.

06:35This is another of many attempts that have been made to stop the efforts of President Trump and

06:42his cabinet and the rest of the administration from downsizing our bloated bureaucracy and trying

06:47to bring a little bit of control to the amazing growth of our federal government without causing the

06:53damage that is always alleged that it is being done. From groundbreaking biomedical advancements

07:01through the NIH to critical health care coverage for America's most vulnerable patients, the Department

07:07of Health and Human Services oversees many of the federal government's most essential functions.

07:14But far too often, these programs fall short of their well-intended purpose.

07:19Bureaucratic overreach has resulted in the loss of trust from many Americans. Waste, fraud,

07:26and abuse has contributed to excessive spending without meaningful improvements in outcomes.

07:32And that's driving our national debt now to $37 or $38 trillion. Secretary Kennedy has committed

07:40to addressing these failures. He's made himself and his staff available to Congress and the American

07:46people to restore faith in our institutions. When issues have arisen, Secretary Kennedy has worked

07:53quickly to remedy the problem. In fact, in recent days, Secretary Kennedy has appeared before two

07:59Senate committees to have an open, transparent conversation about the Department's efforts.

08:06Last week, the Senate Finance Committee moved to advance more nominees who will assist

08:11in the Department's management and communication with Congress. Secretary Kennedy and his team deserve

08:18time to deliver on the promise of putting patience first, promoting transparency, and following the science.

08:26For these reasons, Madam President, I objected to the request.

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