00:00Before I begin, I want to welcome everyone here, particularly our witness.
00:04Two things that I want to point out to both sides of the aisle.
00:08First of all, we are going to use this gavel today.
00:11We are going to limit people to five minutes, so please be aware of that.
00:15I'm going to be fair on both sides, but I do want to let all of you know that we're going to try to limit it to five minutes.
00:20Secondly, this committee, this subcommittee in particular, prides itself on decorum.
00:25So I want to encourage everyone to be respectful of each other as well as with our witness, and I'm sure he'll do the same.
00:32So thank you all for being here.
00:33The chair now recognizes himself for five minutes for an opening statement.
00:38It's my pleasure to begin today's hearing by welcoming the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to the House Energy and Commerce Committee's subcommittee on health.
00:47Thank you, Secretary Kennedy, for coming before the committee to discuss the fiscal year 2026 budget for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
00:57In 2023, our nation spent an estimated $4.9 trillion on health care.
01:02That's nearly 20 percent of our gross domestic product.
01:06And when it comes to per-person health care spending, the United States far surpasses every other nation in the world.
01:12And yet America's health outcomes still lag behind our peers.
01:15Life expectancy in the U.S. is lower than in other developed economies.
01:19And rates of infant and maternal mortality, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are higher.
01:25At the same time, public trust in government health agencies has eroded.
01:30The results of our record-breaking spending speak for themselves, and that's unacceptable.
01:34The system isn't just expensive.
01:36It's failing the very people it's meant to serve.
01:39Currently in the United States, three in four adults experience one or more chronic conditions.
01:44In 2013, no state had adult obesity prevalence at or above 35 percent.
01:50Fast forward to 2023, 23 states had 35 percent or higher adult obesity rates.
01:57According to the CDC, in my home state of Georgia, 35 percent of adults are obese,
02:02and one in ten adults are living with three or more chronic conditions.
02:06During my time as a pharmacist, I saw firsthand the toll that diet-related chronic diseases can have on individuals and families
02:14due to rising health care premiums, out-of-pocket costs, and missed work.
02:19The financial impact is astronomical, not to mention how taxing the physical, emotional, and mental burdens can be.
02:25Just looking at the impact of diabetes, the United States spends more than $327 billion each year combating the disease,
02:34with $237 billion spent on medical costs and another $90 billion in productivity losses.
02:40America needs a new prescription, a clear, bold vision for the future.
02:45We can no longer afford to simply throw more money at this problem and hope for change.
02:49It is time to break from the old ways and embrace innovative, courageous ideas that will truly make America healthy again.
02:57I'm looking forward to hearing more about how HHS is working to improve health care access for American patients
03:04and reduce provider burnout by leading on necessary changes to fix the broken health insurance prioritization process.
03:13I'm also looking forward to hearing more about your agency's plan to reduce unnecessary animal testing.
03:18So many of us here today are committed to a more efficient drug development process,
03:24and I'm encouraged by the FDA's roadmap to reduce animal testing in preclinical safety studies through the use of innovative 21st century science.
03:34As a supporter of the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 and the lead author of the FDA Modernization Act 3.0,
03:41I'm excited to see that under your leadership, Mr. Secretary,
03:45the Department of Health and Human Services is building off these proposals and leading the charge
03:51for the development of safe, effective treatments and therapies without unnecessary animal suffering.
03:58I look forward to hearing additional details of the Secretary's proposal
04:01and to continuing the dialogue between HHS and the Energy and Commerce Committee
04:05as we begin the budget process in earnest.
04:08Again, I appreciate you being here today.
04:11I look forward to hearing how the proposed HHS budget would advance President Trump's mission of making America healthy again.
