At today's Senate Health Committee hearing, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) questioned HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about the consequences of mass firings across NIH and HHS.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Secretary, one of my constituents, her name is Natalie
00:05Phelps. She's a mom of two from Bainbridge Island in Washington State. She
00:11has been fighting aggressive stage four collateral cancer for nearly five years
00:16now. Her best hope now is a clinical trial she's participating in at the NIH
00:21Clinical Center. She flew out to NIH a few weeks ago for her first appointment
00:27and her care team there wanted her to come back in four weeks to start
00:31treatment. But because of the thoughtless mass firing of thousands of critical
00:37employees across NIH and HHS that you carried out, Natalie's doctors at that
00:44clinical center have told her they have no choice but to delay her treatment by an
00:50additional four weeks. Now an extra four weeks may not sound like a long time but
00:55I will tell you for stage four cancer patients like Natalie this could mean the
01:01difference between life and death. Secretary Kennedy, how many staff have been cut
01:07from the NIH's Clinical Center? I want a specific number. I can't tell you that now
01:14Senator Barber, what I can tell you is that if you contact my office tomorrow I'll
01:19look specifically into that. Well that that is not acceptable. I want an answer back by
01:24that. She deserves it. I do it. She doesn't have much time. She deserves an answer back.
01:29And wouldn't you rather get her into that clinical trial as fast as you can?
01:33Absolutely. All right so if you contact my office tomorrow this is a, if that happened...
01:39You are here to defend your budget. I'm here to ask you questions about the impact of that.
01:45Well you asked me, you asked me about a specific case that I want to help with. I don't think anybody...
01:51But there are... I don't think that should happen to anybody.
01:54Okay well what have you and I mean you personally done to assess how those staff cuts are impacting
02:01patient carry? She is one of many. What have you done to assess that?
02:06I provided the guidelines that said we shouldn't and no clinical trials should be affected by the cuts.
02:13I have, you know...
02:17Mr. Secretary, I just have a short amount of time. They are impacting clinical trials.
02:22Who asked me your question? Do you want me to answer it?
02:24I want to tell you, you need to know this. You're here to defend the NIH budget which...
02:29Senator, do you want me to answer your question?
02:32Well, I wanted to tell you that Natalie is sitting there waiting for treatment.
02:37I'm offering to help her but you don't care. You don't care about Natalie.
02:42I've offered to help Natalie. I am asking you a question and it is critical.
02:46You are here to defend cutting NIH by half. Do you genuinely believe that that won't result
02:54in more stories like Natalie's? I think the cuts that are now proposed by NIH are going to hurt.
03:03I think that President Trump, you know, listen, there's no agency head in the government like
03:10myself that wants to see their budget cut. And I asked you, have you personally assessed what this
03:16is doing to patients? And I am telling you one story of one person. It is impacting life or death
03:22situation. I think it's...
03:24Do you want me to answer your question, Senator?
03:26Well, you did.
03:26I am not. You have not allowed me to answer it.
03:30Well, I will just say that it is my job to be a voice for people like Natalie and countless other
03:36patients who are like her. So you've got to fix this. I want to know and I want a personal update
03:42on Natalie's case. And you offered that. Please give that to me in the next 24 hours. And I expect
03:49details and transparency about the state of NIH clinical care.
03:53You contact my office, Senator, and I will do everything in my power to try to get Natalie into that.
04:02I got one minute left and I want to ask you about the NIOSH cuts. I am really alarmed by your decision
04:07to essentially eliminate the National Institutes for Occupational Safety and Health. You've already
04:12fired nearly 90 percent of the staff. That includes the staff in my state at the Spokane Research Lab.
04:19Those are experts. They do essential work to protect miners and firefighters and farm workers,
04:25people who work in dangerous conditions. I am told that after backlash, you are reinstating some of those,
04:31mainly in the West Virginia office. But there doesn't nobody in the western United States.
04:36And there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to how you've made these decisions. And how do you explain
04:42this to my constituents in Spokane who are out of a job and the workers that are being impacted by that?
04:47The work in NIOSH will not be interrupted. I've brought back 328 workers, mainly in the
04:58Cleveland office and the Morgantown office and for the World Trade Center site. And that work
05:04will continue. The work on mine safety will continue. The epicenter of that work has been Cleveland
05:10and it's been Morgantown. We understand it's critically important function and I did not want to see it end.
05:16Mr. Chairman, I would just say you can't fire 90% of the people and assume the work gets done.
05:21Senator Collins