Chairman Cassidy Delivers Remarks During Hearing with Secretary Kennedy on HHS Budget

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, delivered remarks during today's hearing with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to discuss President Trump's proposed HHS budget for fiscal year 2027.

Click here to watch the full hearing.

Cassidy's opening remarks as prepared for delivery can be found below:

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will please come to order.

Secretary Kennedy, thank you for coming before the committee.

I've been traveling to Louisiana a lot, and affordability, whether it's gasoline, groceries, or health care, is top of mind. And when patients speak to me about how expensive their prescription drugs are, it resonated with them when I say, wait a second, there's middlemen who are jacking up the price for their own profitability. Patients get that, and they want help.

I'll go back to my experience practicing medicine. If the patient has the power, if the patient is the reason for the care, and not an excuse for a bill, then prices tend to come down. The question is how we achieve that.

I believe the President is focused on this, and Mr. Secretary - I think you also believe this. So, I look forward to hearing how the administration's proposed budget makes the patient the one in charge.

Now, there are common sense things we can do. How can we get lifesaving drugs to patients faster and cheaper? Last week, the HELP Committee held a hearing on increasing access to generic and biosimilar drugs, which cost less and allow families to keep more money in their pockets while still having access to the medicines they need.

Another thing that can lower costs is getting new drugs onto the market more rapidly. In February, I released a report as to how to do that: getting faster treatments, which lowers R&D costs that contribute to prices, while maintaining the gold standard for safety and effectiveness.

Many of the ideas discussed in my report and by our witnesses at the hearing last week for both new treatments and generics were included in policies that the administration has proposed in this year's budget. This is something we can work on together.

There are other ways to make health insurance and health care more affordable. Last week, I released the MVP agenda (Money and Value for Patients) to build upon President Trump's efforts to give money to patients, rather than insurance companies, to use for their out-of-pocket costs. If paired with price transparency, the patient can shop for the most affordable health care: eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy and eliminating profit that doesn't flow to patients, but flows to entities that pad costs in the system for their own benefit.

While we are speaking of affordability, let's just recognize that if we don't come up with treatments and cures for Alzheimer's and dementia, then the Boomer generation will bankrupt our country for the cost of care for these conditions. And the way to address that is to invest heavily in science and to use that investment effectively. I would argue that includes taking the resources of NIH and making them more accessible to researchers at a wide variety of universities. So, it's the collective brainpower across our nation and not just the brain power at a few concentrated institutions or cities. And I want to credit Dr. Bhattacharya who came before our committee and was very encouraging about his understanding of these issues.

Lastly, standing up for patients includes standing up for the most vulnerable. Protecting women from the dangers of chemical abortion drugs is a step we can take right now to protect life. Frankly, many pro-life Louisianans have been disappointed by the lack of action on this front. We need a willing partner to stand up for life.

Mr. Secretary, you have said every abortion is a tragedy.

It's time to stop stalling on the safety study for abortion drugs.

It's time to reinstate the in-person safeguards that protect women from abuse and coercion.

And it's time for the administration to stop defending a dangerous and illegal Biden-era policy in court.

Secretary Kennedy, there is so much this committee and the President's administration can accomplish. People in my state are struggling. Louisianans expect Congress and the administration to do our part as they do their part. We must meet the moment.

Thank you again, Secretary Kennedy for coming to discuss the proposed HHS budget.

With that, I recognize Senator Sanders for his opening statement.

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