Frank Pallone Rips GOP Over Medicaid Cuts: 'They Will Literally Do Anything' To Cut The Rich's Taxes

Forbes Breaking News

During a House Energy Committee hearing in July, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) spoke about the Big Beautiful Bill's medicaid cuts.

Transcript

00:00The gentleman yields back now, recognized the Ranking Member of the Full Committee, Mr. Pallone, for five minutes for an opening statement.

00:05Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Congratulations on your new post.

00:09I've always believed that the Health Committee was one of our most important subcommittees.

00:15Now, I know we're here today to discuss several pieces of health legislation,

00:18but we can't forget that Republicans just cut more than a trillion dollars from our health care system

00:24and 17 million Americans stand to lose their health insurance.

00:27And that's an increase in our nation's uninsured rate of more than 50%.

00:31These are people who will not have access to the health care they need, who will get sicker,

00:36who will be overwhelmed with medical debt, and sadly, some may die sooner.

00:40Moreover, hundreds of hospitals, nursing homes, and home care providers will be forced to close.

00:45We heard from hospitals, doctors, the elderly, and people with disabilities who have lined our hallways

00:50in this hearing room pleading for their health care.

00:53We heard from families who are afraid of falling farther and further behind from patient groups

00:58who fear for people with cancer, substance use disorders, and countless others.

01:03But Republicans ignored these concerns.

01:05They will literally do anything, including taking health care away from their own constituents,

01:10to give giant tax breaks to the ultra-rich who do not need them.

01:14And with that said, we're here to discuss several pieces of legislation.

01:17First, we're considering the bipartisan reauthorization of the over-the-counter monograph drug user fee program.

01:25Congress authorized this program in 2020 because of the need to more quickly provide safe and effective

01:31over-the-counter drug products to consumers.

01:33I was vocal in my concerns at the time that the FDA OTC program was drastically under-resourced.

01:40We gave FDA the authorities and resources it needed to allow the program to keep up with evolving science and technology,

01:46and introduction of new formalizations for consumers.

01:50The authorization also allowed FDA the ability to more swiftly revise or update monographs

01:55in response to safety concerns.

01:57And this was critical to ensuring the products that consumers use are safe,

02:01and that's why I have concerns with the sunscreen bill.

02:04As drafted, the sunscreen bill undermines the existing bedrock safety and efficacy framework set forth in statute.

02:11However, I look forward to continuing bipartisan discussion to get to a solution

02:15that provides more options for consumers while ensuring that those options are safe and effective.

02:22We also considered today the FDA Modernization Act 3.0,

02:25which would require the agency to publish a final rule on alternative testing methods.

02:30And I'm pleased to hear from FDA that we will continue to see guidance come out of the agency,

02:35as we have in the past, unimpacted by Trump's 10-for-1 executive order.

02:40We will also discuss important workforce reauthorizations,

02:43including the reauthorization of many of the Health Resources and Services Administration's Title VII

02:48and Title VIII Health Professions Development Programs.

02:52We continue to face nationwide shortages in health providers,

02:55and continuing all of the Title VII programs is essential to creating a robust network of providers.

03:02Similarly, the Title VIII programs address all aspects of the nursing workforce,

03:06from education and recruitment to practice and retention.

03:10As the nursing shortage continues to grow, it's imperative that we reauthorize all of these crucial programs

03:15to support the nursing workforce.

03:18Despite their proven track record in bolstering the health workforce,

03:21some of these important programs may be eliminated by the Trump administration

03:25because they include words like diversity and representation.

03:28In reality, what these programs are doing is helping us build a health workforce

03:32that is actually reflective of our country and is large enough to meet the needs of all of our communities.

03:39Eliminating these programs will only exacerbate health workforce shortages,

03:43and vulnerable communities will suffer the most.

03:45We're also examining a few bills that support parents and infants across the country,

03:49including reauthorization of the Healthy Start program.

03:52This program partners with local providers to improve health outcomes before, during, and after pregnancy,

03:58with the ultimate goal of reducing infant mortality and lowering rates of preterm birth,

04:03low birth weight, and maternal illness.

04:05And I'm pleased to see it included in this hearing.

04:08I want to stress the importance of reauthorizing this program for the future.

04:12And relatedly, we're considering legislation that will reauthorize the newborn screening program.

04:17While I am concerned the Trump administration is disbanding the advisory committee that supports this life-saving work,

04:25by reauthorizing this committee and program,

04:27we will show that Congress stands with families nationwide who rely on this critical program.

04:33So thanks again to witnesses for being here.

04:35Look forward to the discussion.

04:37And with that, our new chairman of the subcommittee.

04:41I yield back the balance of my time.

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