At HELP Hearing, Senator Murray Presses RFK Jr. on Public Health Failures, Highlights Broken Promises and Lies to Congress

Murray: "The budget that was sent to us is not MAGA budget. It is not a MAHA budget. It is a war budget-no one can call it anything other than that."

ICYMI: Senator Murray on President Trump's FY27 Budget Request

***WATCH: Senator Murray's remarks***

Washington, D.C. - Today, at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing on the FY27 budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the HELP Committee, grilled HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on cuts to important HHS functions, and broken promises and lies to Congress.

[MURRAY SLAMS RFK Jr. FOR GUTTING CDC AND BREAKING PROMISES]

MURRAY: Yesterday when we talked, you went on a very long tangent about how you were just cancelling woke grants. But I want to for the record put the numbers here: you cancelled 17, at least 17 maternal health grants, $4 million-because apparently any research involving women is woke. You cancelled 58 grants for vaccine research, $94 million. 59 for Alzheimer's research, that was $33 million dollars. And a whopping 108 cancer research grants-$29 million dollars' worth!

I just have to say cancer is not woke. Neither is Alzheimer's, or women who die in childbirth. These are deadly issues, they deserve serious research. I am appalled that it was tossed in the shredder. And meanwhile as I said, we are shoveling money on war spending.

So, I just want to be clear: that the budget that was sent to us is not MAGA budget. It is not a MAHA budget. It is a war budget-no one can call it anything other than that

Why on earth would we take from researchers, and rural health care, and maternal health care. You justified these cuts because of a need to reduce the debt yesterday, this budget actually proposes to increase the debt for more war.

So, we're shoveling more money at Defense contractors, but we're slashing NIH by more than five billion dollars, fewer patients getting life-saving treatment. Cutting CDC by a third so we can't respond to dangerous outbreaks. Slashing investments in mental health and addiction treatment, people will fall through the cracks. And not investing in child care, families will have to decide between child care, and health care, and putting food on the table.

So, I know my time is almost up. And Mr. Chairman, for the record, I am concerned about the promises that have been broken. And I have some items that I do want to submit for the record, and I ask unanimous consent to include these articles:

"RFK Jr. breaks promise to senators, guts CDC vaccine panel of independent experts."

"RFK Jr. Breaks His Promises About the CDC on Vaccines and Autism."

"Firing of CDC's vaccine advisers puts spotlight on RFK Jr.'s promises to Cassidy."

I have one that is titled: "RFK Jr. Made Promises in Order to Become Health Secretary. He's Broken Many of Them."

"Bill Cassidy extracted a promise from RFK Jr. Now he sees what that promise is worth."

Two more: "A Republican Senator Who Voted for RFK is Airing His Concerns. It's Too Late Now."

And an article that is entitled: "GOP Senator Refuses to Face Reality About RFK Jr. After Being 'Lied' To."

I yield back.

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