00:00Senator King. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Dr. Menardes, it was good to visit in the
00:06office about public health data modernization of priority we share.
00:10Your written testimony interested me because when a witness prepares
00:15testimony and chooses to bold two lines, that tells me that these are the really
00:20important lines in the testimony. And the two lines that you bolded in your
00:24testimony were good public health saves lives and when public health is
00:29neglected it costs lives. Those are the two bolded lines. Is smoking a public
00:36health issue? It is. And is ignoring smoking as a public health issue run risk to
00:43people's lives? Smoking prevention and mitigation is a very important public
00:48health strategy to mitigate the risk associated with topical use in cancer.
00:52Thank you for that. Mr. Chair, I'd like to introduce in the record an article
00:56from Stat News from April 14, quote, why CDC cuts are being called the greatest
01:04gift to tobacco industry in the last half century. Without objection. The article
01:09points out that on April 1st, the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health was
01:14eliminated. There were 120 full-time employees. They were all laid off.
01:19contractors into the office had been all laid off in February. If smoking is a
01:25public health issue and ignoring it is a public health challenge that could risk
01:29lives, how can we justify the complete elimination of the CDC office on smoking
01:36and health? So, as you know, I was not by law involved in any of the personnel
01:45decision making. I actually don't know that. So, let's let's focus on that. You
01:49were at the CDC from January till March 24th. All of the, and you were the deputy
01:55director and then acting director. All of the contractors who do work with this
01:59really important office that have been around for decades were all laid off in
02:03February when you were in that position. And the employees were all laid off on
02:07April 1. So, let me just ask you, did you have anything to do with the
02:13decisions about eliminating all the contractors and then all the employees
02:17in the Office on Smoking and Health? I am not aware of the layoffs to the
02:21contractors. Okay, but now let me just, did you, so, so the answer is you did not have
02:25anything to do with the layoffs to the contractors, if you're not aware. I am not
02:28aware. Did you have anything to do with the layoff of all the employees of the
02:32office? I, I had no participation in the personnel decision making after I left. Right, but so, so you were not involved in any discussions about laying off the
02:42entire office before you left on March 24th. So, I'll tell you what I was involved in. So,
02:48we were given clear guidance from the secretary. But, but I only want to know
02:51about the Office on Smoking and Health, so don't talk to me about anything else.
02:54Were you involved in any discussions about laying off the entire staff of the
03:00Office of Smoking and Health before you left on March 24th? So, when, when we were
03:06given the tasking to return CDC to its core functions related to preventing,
03:10detecting, and responding to infectious diseases and emerging threats. I worked
03:15with the career staff there to make sure that we did both, made sure that we were
03:21reinforcing those core mission areas. And in those discussions at the Office on
03:25Smoking and Health, was that, that office discussed? I don't recall that specific
03:30office, but. Okay, well, if you don't recall the specific office that I'm going to go to a
03:36next question. Just, you're a career public health professional. I mean, if, if public
03:43health saves lives, and this is an office that's been going for decades that's shown
03:48real effectiveness in reducing smoking, isn't it a bad idea to completely shutter
03:55the Office on Smoking and Health and lay off all the employees and contractors?
03:59Look, these issues are still public health priorities, and. For, for, for who? They're
04:06public health priorities for the secretary, they're public health. Okay, public health
04:10priorities for the secretary. The article that I introduced in the record also
04:13points out that he's laid off almost all the smoking expertise at the FDA. So, so give me
04:20any evidence that this is a public health priority for the secretary. So, so this is a
04:26public health priority for the secretary. Tell me one thing he's done. You have laid
04:32off the entire office at the CDC. So, I'm. All of the contractors, all of the
04:38employees. You've gutted the FDA. Let, let me read really quickly. The end of OSH
04:44comes along dramatic changes at the FDA, including the elimination of the center's
04:49management and regulation divisions and the ouster of top tobacco regulator Brian
04:53Kling and head scientist Matthew Farrelly. You didn't have anything to do with the
04:58FDA. You're not there, but give me one thing that this secretary has done that
05:03would suggest he understands what you testified to that smoking is a public
05:07health issue. So, the secretary has continued to support preventing chronic
05:11disease. Okay, is smoking related disease a chronic disease? Cancer related to tobacco
05:17use can turn into a chronic disease. Yeah, because it's what Senator Houston said, the
05:20things we put in our bodies. That's a chronic disease. It would seem like that
05:24would be something that would be a priority for the HHS secretary and yet
05:29the CDC complete elimination of this office and the FDA dramatic curtailment of
05:35its office. I really have questions about not, not about the statement that you made in
05:41your testimony nor about your qualifications. I've got questions about your
05:46willingness to follow through on your values. I yield.
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