4 Takeaways on RFK’s Budget-Cutting Testimony

Well being and Human Companies Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified Tuesday earlier than a Senate panel about waste in his division, as Democrats turned testy over a number of factors. 

In the course of the listening to of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Well being and Human Companies, Training, and Associated Companies, Kennedy famous, “This company has a price range that’s akin to the sixth largest nation on the earth.”

Listed here are 4 key highlights from the listening to. 

1. ‘Destruction of the Well being of the American Individuals’

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the vice chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, requested quite a few questions on what she characterised as cuts to the division because the starting of the second Trump administration and lambasted Kennedy for terminating jobs within the division. 

“What you’re doing proper now’s enacting your [own] price range that Congress has not handed, by slicing essential funding throughout the board,” Murray mentioned. 

Early within the testimony, when Kennedy would start to reply her questions, she routinely interrupted with extra questions.  

For instance, when Murray requested, “Whose resolution was it to withhold youngster care and improvement block grant funding?” 

Kennedy replied, “In 2021, originally of his administration, President Biden …”

Murray jumped in: “I’m not .”

An exasperated Kennedy shot again, “You made an accusation of me. I’m going to reply it.”

“On Could 28, he [President Joe Biden] submitted his price range. Our price range, we’re a brand new administration …” Kennedy mentioned, earlier than Murray interjected once more. 

“I’ve simply two minutes left,” Murray mentioned.

“I wish to level out one thing, senator,” Kennedy mentioned. “You presided right here for over 32 years. You presided over the destruction of the well being of the American individuals. Our individuals are actually the sickest individuals on the earth as a result of you haven’t accomplished your job.”

Murray turned upset. 

“Mr. Secretary, severely? Mr. Secretary, severely? I’m right here to ask you …” Murray mentioned, although Kennedy didn’t stop speaking.

“What have you ever accomplished in regards to the epidemic of power illness?” the HHS secretary requested.  

Murray continued, “Critically, severely.”

Murray mentioned that within the final 4 months, Kennedy fired hundreds of Nationwide Institutes of Well being workers and terminated greater than 1,600 NIH grants.

“Whose resolution was it to terminate these NIH grants?”

Kennedy challenged her info: “Senator, I don’t belief your info, with all due respect. You instructed me two days in the past or 4 days in the past that we lower a medical trial in your state, and what you mentioned turned out to be utterly unfaithful, and also you knew it was unfaithful since you corresponded with Jay Bhattacharya.”

Bhattacharya is the NIH director.

“Your workers didn’t get again to me till 45 minutes in the past,” Murray mentioned. 

Kennedy replied: “We now have the emails from two weeks in the past. Two weeks in the past you have been equivalent to what you knew was unfaithful if you mentioned it.” 

Murray replied, “You got here right here to argue with me.”

2. ‘Solely in Washington Would That Be Known as Cuts’

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., mentioned greater than 10 million individuals might lose entry to Medicaid due to the proposed spending invoice within the Home, commonly known as “the large, lovely invoice.”

“The results of hundreds of thousands of individuals shedding Medicaid is that many extra will go to the emergency room,” Reed mentioned. 

Kennedy replied, “To start with, we haven’t made cuts. Solely in Washington would that be known as cuts.”

“The reductions that have been proposed are reductions in charge of development over the subsequent 5 years, and people reductions are to get rid of waste, fraud, and abuse,” Kennedy mentioned. 

“There are 1 million individuals now on Medicaid, accepting Medicaid, accumulating Medicaid in two states [at the same time]. That’s unlawful. They’re stealing from the Medicaid program,” Kennedy mentioned. “There are 1 million accumulating each Obamacare and Medicaid. That’s unlawful. Additionally it is a theft.”

He additional famous that after the Trump administration stopped permitting Medicaid funds to unlawful immigrants, so did California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat. Medicaid advantages are paid collectively by the federal and state governments.

“As quickly as we made the announcement we aren’t going to permit that funding anymore, Gavin Newsom adopted by asserting that he’s not going to fund it anymore,” Kennedy mentioned. “So his compassion ended when he needed to begin paying for it.” 

3. John and Bobby Kennedy Chat

No relation, however Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., who shares the identify of thirty fifth president and the uncle of the HHS secretary, can also be on the Appropriations Subcommittee.

The Louisiana senator defended the workforce reductions at HHS together with his questions, inquiring, “What number of workers have been at HHS if you took over?” 

The secretary answered it was 82,000 below the Biden administration and is now 62,000.   

“That’s in regards to the degree it was in 2019 earlier than COVID,” Kennedy mentioned. “Is that this the primary time that an establishment in America was ever downsized?”

The secretary answered, “I believe each non-public and public establishments have been [downsizing].” 

The senator adopted: “Microsoft simply introduced they have been going to cut back their workforce by 6,000 individuals. Do you suppose that would be the finish of Microsoft?”

He later requested, “Meta—I nonetheless name them Fb—simply introduced they’re going to scale back their workforce by 3,000 individuals. Do you consider that would be the finish of Meta?”

In each instances, the secretary mentioned he doubted it was the top of the businesses.

4. ‘No Room to Lower NIH Analysis, Proper?’

Democrats all through the listening to decried spending cuts to the NIH. 

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., mentioned the highest 4 recipients of NIH analysis grant funding acquired a mixed $2.8 billion, and of that, virtually $1.7 billion went to oblique bills unrelated to the analysis. 

“Harvard acquired $488 million from NIH, and 69% went to oblique prices, which means it didn’t go to analysis,” Mullin mentioned. “Yale acquired $646 million, and 67.5% of NIH cash went to oblique prices, which means it didn’t go to analysis. John Hopkins College acquired $858 million, 67.5% went to oblique prices, which means 67.5% of $858 million didn’t go to analysis. College of California, San Francisco acquired $815 million in NIH cash and 59% went to oblique prices.”

Mullin adopted: “I’m positive there is no such thing as a room to chop NIH analysis, proper?”

Past the highest 4 grant recipients, Kennedy mentioned the full of oblique bills from all NIH grants is $9 billion. 

“That’s $9 billion that didn’t go to analysis,” he mentioned. “We don’t know what it goes to.”

The secretary added, “The non-public universities which have the large endowments that you just have been referring to, they’re those that get essentially the most inflated numbers.”