Jon Ossoff Rails Against Trump Administration's Proposal To Cut CDC Budget 'By More Than Half'

During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Wednesday, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) spoke about proposed cuts to the CDC.

Transcript

00:00Thank you, Senator. Senator Assa. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for convening this hearing.

00:12It's powerful to be in the presence of so many young people. Thank you for being here with us

00:21and for holding elected officials accountable through your presence and your example. And thank

00:26you to our witnesses as well. Dr. Rogers, NIH collaborates with CDC on the special diabetes

00:37program, correct? That's correct, Senator. And have you had positive working relationships

00:43with many of your colleagues at the CDC? Very positive relationship. I mentioned one earlier

00:48on, the search for diabetes in the youth, which has been funded through this special diabetes

00:55program. And it's not only detecting that there has been, over time, an increase in the incidence

01:03of type 1 diabetes, but also in type 2 diabetes. What I was taught when I was in medical school,

01:10we called it adult onset, but we're seeing this now in kids 10, 12, 14. And that would

01:17not be possible without the collaboration that's longstanding now with the Centers for Disease

01:23Control. And appreciate your work at NIH. And the CDC does vital work for the nation, yeah?

01:27Correct. And I know, Dr. Rogers, you don't produce the budget request, so this is not directed

01:36at you personally. But I want to raise once again for the committee and the public my bitter opposition

01:48to the Trump administration's proposal to cut the CDC budget by more than half in fiscal

01:54year 26, which will have a devastating impact on epidemiological defense and health research

02:04to defend the American public from deadly diseases. And I would note, Madam Chair, that the administration's

02:13budget request proposes to eliminate entirely the CDC's diabetes division responsible for data collection

02:21and research and to eliminate entirely the CDC's division of nutrition, physical activity, and obesity.

02:31And I will fight this effort to destroy the CDC with everything I have as a member of the United

02:40States Senate. And if we, on a bipartisan basis in the Senate, do not defeat this effort to gut the CDC,

02:49the American people will pay for it in lives, in suffering, for decades to come. And I want to thank you again,

02:59Dr. Rogers, for your work at the NIH and respectfully request your assurance that any information that the

03:05committee may need in order to better understand your activities and also your collaboration with the CDC

03:11and the vital role that the CDC plays in defending the nation you'll provide to the best of your ability

03:17to this committee. Do I have that assurance? You have it, Senator. Thank you, Dr. Rogers. I want to ask you also

03:23about ensuring that diverse communities across the United States have access to information and

03:31treatment. I note with concern that the, of course, diabetes impacts every community in the United States.

03:41And in Georgia, the Hispanic community, Hispanics in Georgia are about one and a half times more likely

03:48to be diagnosed with diabetes. There was a project at the University of Georgia, an NIH grant had been awarded

03:57to help develop new tools with language access, bilingual and multilingual tools to help improve

04:06the Hispanic community's access to information about diabetes, about staying on top of of insulin and blood

04:12sugar levels and treatment, as well as to be able to diagnose diabetes earlier. Can you speak broadly,

04:19please, Dr. Rogers, to the importance of ensuring that diagnostic tools and treatment information are widely

04:26accessible to diverse communities across the United States? Well, I would say that that goes without saying that

04:35the current director has mentioned that at his, at his hearing, that we want to make sure that advances

04:46and medical treatments serve all communities. Thank you, Dr. Rogers. And I'll be following up

04:54with the director's office about this canceled grant to the University of Georgia. Again, I know that's not

04:59your decision and your prerogative, but appreciate your work on behalf of the American people and your presence

05:05here at the hearing today. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you.