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00:00I'm honored to appear before you today to present the Department of Health and Human Services fiscal year 2026 budget.
00:12I want to move to that. I want my questions answered on are you freezing and withholding funding that Congress appropriated in 2025 for life-saving NIH research.
00:23You have the power of the purse here.
00:25Thank you. Thank you for reiterating that, but I think that I'm not sure the administration really has internalized that, particularly Mr. Vogt hasn't internalized that, when he says that we can, in fact, impound money.
00:39The money is there. The 2024 budget includes the funding for the NIH. Will you commit to spending the money that is in 2024 in that budget?
00:48As I said, Ranking Member, if you appropriate the money, I'm going to spend that money.
00:54The money has been appropriated, so the answer to that is if you're not willing to accept the funds that have been lawfully voted by members of the House and Senate on the money for the National Institutes of Health.
01:09Well, I'm going to hold you to your word that that funding is there. It should be transferred from 24 to 25, and you've cut already $20 billion. Let's get that money back.
01:21I agree with a lot of the things you've said. Some of the things I question, want to see more studies on.
01:25Who made those decisions, you or Musk?
01:28They were made, I mean, ultimately, we executed the decisions.
01:32I know you executed them, but my question is.
01:35Elon Musk gave us help in figuring out where there was ways, fraud and abuse in the department.
01:41But it was up to me to make the decision. And there are many instances where I pushed back and said, we don't want to, you know, that would hurt us to eliminate that group.
01:53Let me ask you a question based upon that response. Was there an analysis of the consequences of these cuts and the reduction in force and elimination of programs?
02:06The analysis that we're spending $2 trillion a year that we don't have.
02:11Mr. Musk said he was going to cut $2 trillion.
02:13At some point, when you're spending $2 trillion more than you have, you have to make cuts.
02:16The other analysis that was more detailed is that-
02:20Did you cut the children or the Indians that you're so concerned about?
02:23We didn't cut the Indians. We didn't cut the Indian services.
02:25No, I understand that. I'm asking you. You said we have to cut-
02:28I made sure that those services were not cut.
02:31How many employees have been let go so far from your-
02:35About 10,000 left. Took the fork in the road. About 10,000 more.
02:40And how many are on administrative leave now, waiting to be fired in June?
02:46That would be the second 10,000.
02:48Okay, so they're currently being paid.
02:50Yes.
02:51So they're being paid to do nothing.
02:52Well, a lot of them are supposed to be coming in.
02:55But they're coming in to do nothing because they're not allowed to work.
02:58No, no. We want them working.
03:00Are you empowered to reverse these decisions?
03:03Yes.
03:04You are. Okay.
03:05And-
03:06If you had a child today, would you vaccinate that child for measles?
03:09For measles?
03:13Probably for measles.
03:15I-
03:16You know, what I would say is my opinions about vaccines are irrelevant.
03:21I have directed Jay Bhattacharya-
03:24Sure. No, like I said, I don't want to-
03:26So that everybody can make that decision.
03:28But I, you know, I don't want it to seem like I'm being evasive.
03:31Yeah.
03:32But I don't think people should be taking advice, medical advice from me.
03:36Right.
03:37Right. No, I got that.
03:38And I'm not asking you to give them medical advice, but would you vaccinate your child for measles?
03:41I think if I answer that question directly, that it will seem like I'm giving advice to other people.
03:47And I don't want to be doing that.
03:48I want people to make-
03:49Okay.
03:50But that's kind of your jurisdiction because CDC does give advice, right?
03:52Well-
03:53I'm not trying to do it as a gotcha.
03:54It's just-
03:55What?
03:56If you are successful in banning fluoride, I noticed you graduated Utah and Florida, I think, for banning it.
04:02That's up to them.
04:03They can do what they want.
04:04But we better put a lot more money into dental education because we're going to need a whole lot more dentists.
04:09And showed a direct inverse correlation between fluoride exposure, dose-related, and lower IQ.
04:16It's an issue that we have to all be concerned with.
04:19We want high IQ kids.
04:20Mr. Hoyer.
04:21Right now.
04:22Mr. Hoyer.
04:23I look forward to working with you on it.
04:24Okay.
04:25Good news in West Virginia.
04:27I want to thank you and your-