VIDEO: Chairman Capito Delivers Opening Statement at HHS Budget Hearing

To watch Chairman Capito's opening remarks, click here or the image above.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), chaired a hearing with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to consider President Trump's Fiscal Year 2027 budget request, as well as the many priorities of the agency.

Below is the opening statement of Chairman Capito as prepared for delivery:

"Good morning and welcome to our first Labor-HHS Subcommittee hearing for fiscal year 2027. Vice Chair Baldwin and I have served together for several years on this subcommittee, and I am proud of the work we did last year to complete a bipartisan fiscal year 2026 bill.

"I also want to take a moment to recognize Senators Collins and Murray whose leadership as the chair and vice chair of the Appropriations Committee made that fiscal year 2026 bipartisan process possible.

"Today's budget hearing is a first step in that process for fiscal year 2027.

"Secretary Kennedy, thank you for being here today.

"I know that we all share the goal of improving the health of Americans. This hearing is an important opportunity for the subcommittee to hear from you on HHS's budget proposal and better understand your priorities for fiscal year 2027.

"You are now in your second year at the helm of HHS. During your time as secretary, I know you have taken a careful look at every program this committee funds, and I commend you for coming here today with a much more reasonable budget request than last year. Congress has a responsibility to ensure that limited taxpayer dollars are always well spent, and I look forward to hearing from you about ways to improve the agency.

"One of the most important investments we make at HHS is in biomedical research. This is why in Fiscal Year 2026 Congress provided a $415 million dollar increase for NIH. NIH-funded basic research provides hope to American families when a loved one faces a difficult diagnosis. New treatments, cures, and clinical trials are available because of funding Congress has provided. That record of success is why NIH has long-standing bipartisan support in Congress.

"Our nation's success depends on the medical researchers across this country supported by NIH. America has long been the world leader in biomedical research. I look forward to hearing your proposals for how America can maintain our role as the world leader in biomedical research.

"It is promising news that overdose deaths across the country are trending downward; but, sadly, substance use challenges continue to be a problem facing West Virginia and the nation. I appreciate the administration's focus on combating addiction and supporting recovery, and I am grateful for your swift action to reverse the SAMHSA grant cancellations earlier this year.

"SAMHSA funding has played an important role in West Virginia, and I would like to understand how the budget proposal to reorganize substance use prevention and treatment programs into the proposed Administration for a Healthy America would continue to help fight the scourge of addiction in my state.

"As you know, Congress continues to prioritize programs that support healthcare access in rural communities. CDC data show that diabetes is more prevalent in rural communities than in urban areas, and rural Americans are more likely to die from cancer, heart disease, and stroke than urban Americans. We experience these realities acutely in my home state, which leads the nation in rates of diabetes and heart disease. Therefore, I appreciate your focus on combatting the chronic disease crisis in the U.S.

"To help improve physical and mental health outcomes for rural Americans, we must continue investing in health workforce and other rural health initiatives that build capacity and strengthen our community institutions.

"HRSA has been a trusted federal leader on these types of rural health activities for decades. You have also proposed moving HRSA to the new AHA, and I would like to learn more about how your budget proposal would invest in rural America.

"As always, the appropriations process this year will be challenging but it is my hope that we will once again come together to produce a bipartisan bill that uses our limited resources in the most efficient and effective way to support the health and well-being of all Americans.

"Finally, I want to note that it took almost nine months to receive responses to this subcommittee's questions for the record on the fiscal year 26 request from last year's hearing. These responses arrived just last month, far after the statutory requirement of 45 business days and more than a month after the FY2026 bill had been signed into law. I would urge you to respond in a more timely manner following this year's hearing.

"Secretary Kennedy, I look forward to working with you throughout that process. Thank you again for being here today."

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