'I Can't Even Say This Without Laughing': Brandon Gill Grills Dem Witness About 'Birthing People'

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At Tuesday's House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) grilled the Democrats' witness, Emily DiVito, Senior Advisor for Economic Policy at Groundwork Collaborative.

Transcript

00:00Thank you, Madam Chair. It never gets boring in here.

00:03I'd like to say thank you to the witnesses for being here and for taking the time.

00:08Ms. DeVito, thank you for coming here.

00:11In your testimony, you said that Americans deserve a government that works for them,

00:17a government that makes their lives easier and more secure. Is that correct?

00:21Yes, sir.

00:23Great. I'd like to read through a couple of the grants that DOGE has pulled back.

00:29And I'd like to get your take on them.

00:32They pulled back a $1.5 million NIH grant to Morehouse College.

00:37It was called the Center to Advance Reproductive Justice and Behavioral Health

00:42Among Black Pregnant-slash-Postpartum Women and Birthing People.

00:47Do you think that that makes Americans' lives easier and more secure?

00:52I think that medical and scientific research of all types...

00:55Do you think that that constitutes critical research, according to your testimony?

00:59NIH grants are critical research?

01:01I think that government research of all types in the medical...

01:05Including a birthing people?

01:07I think bench research of all types plays a fundamental role...

01:11What is a birthing person?

01:13Sir, I am here to talk about the DOGE impact...

01:16I'm asking you about this grant and you're defending it.

01:19So I'm asking you, who is birthing people?

01:23I am not familiar with this grant.

01:27I take a position that all kinds of government research, medical, pharmaceutical, biological...

01:33Is a birthing person a woman?

01:34Is that another word for female?

01:36That is outside the scope of my expertise.

01:40Seems like erasure language to me.

01:42I've been told that that type of vernacular constitutes erasure language.

01:47How about another one?

01:49How about the conference gender equity in the mathematical study of commutative algebra?

01:57Do you think that that's a valid form of government spending?

02:00I think mathematical research of all types is deserving of government...

02:03What about studying, and this is directly from the National Science Foundation's website, women and non-binary mathematicians?

02:11Again, I think all kinds of government investment should be dedicated toward mathematical...

02:16All kinds of government investment.

02:18You don't have any kind of limit on what we're spending our money on?

02:21Just everything?

02:22Is that your testimony?

02:24I am talking about DOGE.

02:25You brought up a grant...

02:26So am I.

02:27This is a grant that DOGE cut.

02:30I am not familiar with this particular grant, but I think government investment in mathematical, biological...

02:35Okay.

02:36Let's do another one.

02:37This one is called Hashtag Transcendent Health, Adapting an LGB Plus Inclusive Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program for Transgender Boys.

02:51I can't even say this without laughing.

02:54Do you think that that is a useful form of our tax spend?

02:59I am not familiar with that grant, but I think bench research, government investment in scientific and pharmaceutical research...

03:06In pregnancy for transgender boys, do you think that that is a useful spend of our tax dollars?

03:14I think government investment in all kinds of scientific research is of the utmost importance.

03:19Including pregnancy prevention for transgender boys.

03:22Okay.

03:23Let me ask you, we can come back to this later maybe.

03:28Do you support abolishing the filibuster still?

03:31I am here to talk about DOGE respectfully.

03:35Right.

03:36We could abolish the filibuster and get a lot of DOGE cuts through.

03:39And you've written at length on your Twitter about abolishing the filibuster.

03:44I am just curious if you think that we should do that still.

03:47I did a lot of previous work on different topics because I am an economic policy expert.

03:53And respectfully, I am here to talk about DOGE cuts.

03:55Okay.

03:56Okay.

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