At Thursday's Senate Health Committee hearing, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) questioned James O'Neill, nominee ot be Deputy HHS Secretary.
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00:00Mr. Chairman I just want you to know the Trump administration fired many of the
00:04CDC port health station staff in fact at SeaTac in my state there used to be
00:09four. They are the person that screened travelers at the ports of any entry so
00:16if we don't have people there to screen even a mandate would make it very
00:20difficult to assure that so I share your concern but I also think we have to
00:25personnel there to do it with that Mr. O'Neill we are knowing we know right now
00:32that at HHS there's they're undertaking a massive reorganization firing staff
00:37canceling and terminating thousands of grants and contracts worth billions of
00:42dollars delaying sending that grant funding out including by the way for
00:46life-saving biomedical research and meanwhile HHS is currently I know you're
00:52not there yet but they are refused fusing to provide basic answers to many of
00:57our straightforward questions they are canceling long-standing briefings and
01:02they're telling Congress and virtually the American public nothing about these
01:07dramatic unprecedented changes last week HHS submitted an operating plan for fiscal
01:13year 25 required by law and it leaves it blank the funding levels for 530 programs
01:21we're left blank the department is effectively telling us it doesn't have
01:26to tell us or the American people anything about how it is going to spend
01:30tens of billions of dollars taxpayer dollars across hundreds of programs and
01:35that is really stunning to me in my time of Congress I have never seen an
01:39administration less transparent than this one eyes I've also never seen an
01:44administration so insistent I'm pretending they are transparent while going
01:49out of there what way to hide basic information that we require so mr. O'Neill I
01:54want to ask you if you are confirmed will you commit to prior tours prioritizing real
02:00transparency and sharing information with Congress and the American public about
02:05what HHS is doing thank you for the questions senator it's lovely to see you I was a
02:12Senate staffer in the 1990s we had a few pleasant interactions I don't expect you to
02:16remember but yes I have a kind of visceral sense that it's Congress that
02:22authorizes all the programs at HHS it's Congress that appropriates the money for
02:26HHS Congress absolutely deserves to have prompt and accurate information both
02:32proactively about future plans and also in reply to questions whether it's
02:38testimony or written questions and yes I commit if confirmed to ensure that the
02:45whole department takes seriously its obligation to provide good transparent
02:50accurate prompt information to Congress well I appreciate that answer I'm not
02:55holding my breath because I haven't seen it happen yet but mr. chairman I want you to
02:59know I am focused on real transparency here this department is not above
03:04congressional oversight and we have a responsibility and need to help hold all
03:11the agencies accountable so this is something I'm tracking very closely I
03:14wanted to ask you quickly too about women's health the plan to gut HHS is a
03:22disaster for health and safety but it is based it seems to me on a total lack of
03:27understanding about how different agencies across the department work for
03:31example senator Kennedy seems to think we shouldn't have more than one office
03:35that covers women's health well women's health requires dedicated focus in
03:40different areas for example workforce training at HRSA cancer prevention at CDC
03:47scientific research at NIH those are separate and distinct efforts addressing
03:53women's health which has long been underfunded but because of Congress's
03:57dedicated bipartisan investments we've been able to make progress so if you are
04:02confirmed will you commit to restoring women's health functions across HHS and
04:08directing the department to spend an appropriated funds for women's health
04:13as directed by Congress thank you for the question senator obviously women's
04:18health is will continue to be a critical issue is distinct from men's health in
04:23many significant ways the principles of the secretary outline for the proposed
04:28reorg said that any reorg would be based on the on preserving all the central
04:38functions of the department ensuring that they continue and that they're
04:41executed on well as as mandated by statute and also the principal their two
04:46functions make more sense to be conducted within the same agency or office that
04:53that could make sense it also makes sense to me that if functions are closely
04:57similar perhaps we should consider putting them in the same office well I I would
05:01just say mr. chairman women's health isn't just one little corner we are
05:06affected women are affected by many different ways including as I said
05:10through workforce training through cancer prevention through scientific research
05:14different agencies those offices all do very different things there's a reason
05:20why Congress passed funding for each one of them ignoring that means ignoring the law
05:26the law thank you mr. chairman senator moody thank you sir thank you for being