DeLauro Speaks Against Trump’s Cuts to Health Programs and Medical Research

WASHINGTON, DC (March 29, 2017) — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today delivered the following statement at a hearing on the budget for the Department of Health and Human Services. DeLauro is the Senior Democrat on the Appropriations subcommittee responsible for funding the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.

Here are the remarks, as delivered:

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and welcome, Mr. Secretary—welcome to the Subcommittee and your first appropriations hearing, certainly welcome to the Congress, which is a place you know well.

We meet during perilous times for the future of health care in our country. With the threat of rising premiums, rising deductibles, and the uninsured, Americans were protected last week when Speaker Ryan pulled a bill from the floor that would have repealed the Affordable Care Act, the fate of their health care really now lies in your Administration's hands.

I have been deeply disturbed by President Trump's recent threats to sabotage health insurance for the millions of Americans that rely on the Affordable Care Act every day. And last week, from the Oval Office he said, and I quote, "The best thing we can do politically speaking is let Obamacare explode." On February 27, he told the National Governors Association, "Let it be a disaster, because we can blame the Democrats…politically, it would be a great solution."

I find this speech to be insulting to the millions of workers, children, and older Americans whose futures are on the line—the health care of the American people is not a political bargaining chip.

The idea that the President of the United States would intentionally undermine the health and the financial security of millions of Americans, for personal political gain, in my view, is malicious. Mr. Secretary, I hope that you will assure us today that you intend to use your position to strengthen the individual marketplace that is used by millions of Americans, instead of sabotaging it for any political gain.

I hope you will tell us today, that you concur with Speaker Ryan when he says that the Affordable Care Act "is the line of the land" and that there will be no further attempts to repeal it, but rather take a look at the ways in which we can improve and strengthen the Affordable Care Act.

Moving from the failed repeal of the Affordable Care Act to the budget proposal—I think you know what my response is on the budget proposal. Unfortunately, I do not have anything complimentary to say about your budget request. In fact, I think it is a disaster that will have literal life and death consequences for American families—$15 billion in cuts to HHS is untenable.

Much like Speaker Ryan's health care bill that failed last week, the Trump Administration's budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services would eliminate critical resources and programs for low-income and working families. It would also decimate the National Institutes of Health—the world's foremost biomedical research institution—severe negative consequences for public health departments across our country.

To be clear, President Trump is proposing to cut NIH funding by $6 billion—this is really an understatement since we just saw that the Administration wants to cut an additional $1.2 billion from NIH in 2017 as well. And I hope you will tell us whether or not you agree or disagree with that additional cut.

Cutting billions from NIH would be devastating—cancer research, Alzheimer's research, HIV/AIDS research, as well as research to prevent or cure any other disease that is causing misery for millions of Americans and their families. Make no mistake—this cut will turn back the clock on lifesaving biomedical research that you know, and I know, and the Chairman knows, and everyone on this committee knows, has the power to save lives.

Mr. Secretary, we need to know today, do you agree that we should cut $6 billion from the NIH? And I just might add that it is $6 billion below what you voted for in the Omnibus last December. We are choosing to hamper our progress as a nation. We are choosing to ravage our medical community.

President Trump is also proposing to eliminate the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which allocates $3.4 billion each year to help pay heating and cooling bills for nearly 7 million low-income households. Earlier this week, I heard from constituents who depend on LIHEAP.

Let me just quote this for you, this is in Derby, Connecticut, this is the news report, "Tears flowed, anguish creased faces and pleas for help filled the room. They came from people like Amanda Diaz, who works a 40-hour week while taking care of two young children and a sick mother; Crisann Keeney, a former nurse left disabled; Ebony Gattison, who recently graduated from a Griffin Hospital training program."

"These programs are vital," Amanda Diaz said. She said, "People like me don't just stay home...I work. I have a five-year daughter with asthma and my mom has lupus." Diaz said the minimal heating assistance she received probably kept her daughter and mother from getting sick last winter.

Ms. Keeney said, "How does this government think they can just cast people aside." A disabled former nurse, she wiped tears from her eyes as she said, "They are putting numbers down but we're talking about humans." These are the words of folks—they rely on this program to keep their kids healthy, to keep their families safe. And President Trump is also proposing to eliminate the Community Services Block Grant program (CSBG), a critical program that connects people with job training, nutrition programs, LIHEAP, and more.

He would propose slashing funding for the Centers for Disease Control, which gives to state public health departments—drastically reduces surveillance, epidemiology, laboratory testing, as well as immunizations and emergency preparedness activities in the states. And I was pleased to read in your testimony about your commitment to emergency preparedness, and how we need to foster that effort.

In each of these cases, President Trump is proposing to eliminate programs that help low-income, working-class families—often the same families that put their faith in him during last year's campaign—or he is proposing to cut programs like the NIH, the CDC that benefit all Americans. And at the same time, he is preparing to introduce a massive tax cut for corporations and millionaires—just as he did in the failed health care bill last week.

For decades, Republicans have advocated massive cuts to health and education funding—such as with HR 1, the very first thing that Republicans did when they took the majority, which proposed cutting the NIH by $1.6 billion and the CDC by 10 percent.

Unfortunately, President Trump's budget is finally showing the destructive impact that those cuts would have on our communities—cuts to medical research, cuts to public health departments, cuts to home-heating and cooling for low-income families, cuts to Meals on Wheels for older Americans, cuts to nurses' training, cuts to family caregivers, cuts to family planning services, and the list goes on.

My sincere hope is that President Trump's budget is dead on arrival. This budget is cynical, it's vindictive, and it will cause real harm to millions of American families. Mr. Secretary, I look forward to finding out whether you support these reckless cuts. I sincerely and truly hope not.

Additionally, I have read your testimony, and I know that you do not have all the numbers yet—and I would ask the Chairman if we could have the Secretary return in May to testify when we know the full extent of this budget when it comes around in May.

I thank you and I look forward to your testimony and to our discussion.

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