inside the hearing room as you watch there live as robert f. kennedy, jr. will be seated soon for the start of this hearing. this is before the senate finance committee. i have gotten questions from people asking why the finance committee, if this is a health position. among the numerous agencies that hhs oversees it includes the centers for medicare and medicaid services. a large portion of the budget. looks like senators here are getting in their places for the start of this hearing. this is a colossal job and the senators want to make sure robert f kennedy junior is ready to take it on. he wants to dispel misunderstandings with his position. they want clarification on vaccines, abortion and some of the financials that he has incurred with the work he has done at law firms that have gone after vaccine makers. there is a lot of that we'll be hearing today, questioning on statements he has made in the

past that's part of the issue in some ways of being such a political celebrity, being a health celebrity, being somebody from such a prominent family. a long history of things you have stated in the public sphere so we're expecting that there will be quotes brought up from years ago that the senators want to calm their nerves when it comes to robert f. kennedy, jr. a colossal agency when you look at hhs as a whole. $1.7 trillion is how much the budget is. 80,000 employees is what rfk, jr. would be overseeing if confirmed to this role. this is the first of two hearings but the one that will allow them to advance in the confirmation process. bill and dana. >> dana: thank you so much, alex. axios political reporter hans nichols and bill mcgurn. thanks for being here with us

today. bill mcgurn, what are you watching for. the "wall street journal" has been critical in the editorial page leading into this hearing. >> our deal is rfk is really a progressive activist and if -- a lot of people support him because they think he is going after public health establishment that misled us during covid but what we worry about, he seems to be more focused on business and so forth. and i think that, you know, the logic of that points to different mandates and directives, just having the uneasy feeling. even when he was still running as a democrat you would never think there was any problems with his views in alignment with democratic party. he switched parties but -- >> bill: want to squeeze you in. one thing he will say is president trump is committed to restoring the american dream.

a healthy person has a thousand dreams. a sick person has only ones. what do you expect? >> i expect fireworks. i expect theater. the key thing i'm looking at is to see how senator bill cassidy where he comes down. there will be some blocking and tackling on the republican side trying to make it a little easier for the nominee for mr. kennedy. at the same time there are real conservative concerns about his past statements and his future ambitions and on the democratic side look for the theater. there will be plenty of opportunities to take shots and dredge up old quotes. this is a dynamic conversation. torture a metaphor, the math is what matters. >> in committee worked to realign inksenijative and have access in rural communities to

expand the availability of telehealth and help the broken payment structure. across these and other issues i look forward to working with the administration to have meaningful reforms to serve the american people more effectively and more efficiently. too often patients encounter a healthcare system that is disjointed and a dysfunctional maze. complex and bureaucratic chutes and ladders have become the norm. even as healthcare spending climbs, outcomes across a range of conditions continue to decline. mr. kennedy, if confirmed, you will have the opportunity to chart a new and better course for the federal approach to tackling both the drivers and consequences of our ailing healthcare system. your commitment to combating chronic conditions that drive healthcare costs will be critical to our success. prioritizing disease prevention and addressing the factors that

fuel conditions such as diabetes, cardio vascular disease, metabolic disease, alzheimer's, copd and cancer will save lives, reduce costs and build a healthier, stronger country. private sector breakthroughs from groundbreaking cancer medications to curative gene therapies offer hope. but misguided government initiatives and market volatility risk eroding american leadership in lifesaving rnd. your advocacy for healthcare transparency has the potential to empower consumers across the country, promoting competition to enhance quality while cutting excessive spending for patients and for taxpayers. today's hearing will provide a forum to hear more about your vision, particularly for the federal programs under this committee's jurisdiction.

mr. kennedy, you represent a voice for an inspiring coalition of americans who are deeply committed to improving the health and well-being of our nation. regardless of political party, everyone in this room shares a common recognition our current system has fallen short. as well as a common desire to make our country healthier. i look forward to today's conversation as well as your testimony, mr. kennedy. and now i recognize senator wyden for his opening remarks. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. the question before the finance committee this morning is whether robert f. kennedy should be trusted with the health and well-being of the american people. committee staff have examined thousands of pages of statements, books, and podcast transcripts in a review of his record. the receipts show that mr.

kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories, quacks, charltons, especially when it comes to the safety and efficacy of vaccines. he has made it his life's work to sew doubt and discourage parents from getting their kids lifesaving vaccines. it has been lucrative for him and put him on the verge of immense power. this is the profile of someone who chases money and influence wherever they lead, even if that may mean the tragic deaths of children and other vulnerable people. now mr. kennedy is fond of saying he is not making recommendations about whether parents should vaccinate their children. he is just asking questions and

giving people choices. it's a slippery tactic to dodge any real responsibility for his words and actions and it is in my view absurd coming from somebody who is trying to win confirmation for a job that is entirely about making recommendations. these recommendations are going to have life or death consequences for the american people. mr. kennedy, if you are confirmed your recommendations determine which vaccines senior citizens get for free through medicare. your recommendations will determine which vaccines are given to millions of kids. pedaling these anti-vaccine conspiracy theories will endanger the lives of kids and seniors as cross the nation. just look at what happened when

mr. kennedy inserted himself into an anti-vaccination crisis in the island nation of somoa, he traveled there himself to push his views and pour fuel on the fire of a measles outbreak that began due to low vaccination rates. in the end, 83 people died, mostly kids, from a disease that is easily preventable. americans cannot afford to import this experiment to our great nation. another healthcare matter from abortion to universal healthcare mr. kennedy changed his views so often it is nearly impossible to know where he stands. on so many of the basic issues that impact americans' daily lives. in a gob smacking statement of

irresponsibility in november 2023 mr. kennedy said that he wanted to pause infectious disease research for eight years. mr. kennedy has indicated he is open to restricting access to the abortion medication meth price tone. i took this on in 1990 when i chaired the first hearing on topic. the science is clear then and today. it is safe. the only reason it is under question in 2025 people with a political agenda have been out lying about it. women deserve to know if mr. kennedy will abuse his power as our country's chief health officer to essentially implement a national abortion ban by restricting access to the safe and legal medication.

meanwhile as the trump budget office through the medicaid program into chaos yesterday, republicans in congress are proposing deep cuts to the program that will rip away healthcare for millions of americans who count on this vital lifeline. cuts to medicaid of this magnitude will jack up the cost of health insurance. it will shutter nursing homes and rural hospitals, deprive seniors and americans with disabilities of home-based care. that approach amounts to handing over our nation's health system to for-profit insurance companies who made a fortune delaying and denying care. mr. kennedy is virtually no knowledge or experience in handling these issues. it leaves him unprepared to take on a crisis like the nation witnessed yesterday when the trump budget office shut down the federal medicaid payment

portal. after a careful review of his statements, actions and views, materials that i have reviewed personally and closely, i have reached the conclusion that he should not be entrusted with the health and well-being of the american people. when he has taken every side of every issue, how can this committee and the american people believe he has anything to say? let me close by saying i believe more strongly than ever, and i have specialized in healthcare during my time in public service, that we're at a turning point with regard to healthcare in america. there is one word to describe americans' feelings toward the healthcare system it's disillusion. at every turn people feel like they are rolling loaded dice when they try to get healthcare. americans are angry, fed up and tired of a system that puts profits over patients. instead of debating meaningful

ways to improve americans' healthcare now the committee is being forced to relitigate settled science about vaccines and whether or not the federal government should help americans get affordable healthcare. i know where democrats on this finance committee stand when it comes to an agenda to lower costs and improve care. i must say i cannot say the same about the nominee sitting in front of me and let me acknowledge finely, mr. chairman, terry mills from portland, oregon here to represent nurses for america and a statement from her organization into the record at this time. thank you, mr. chairman. >> without objection. thank you, ranking member wyden. mr. kennedy in a few moments you'll be given to opportunity to make your opening statement and respond to these attacks and other questions that the members of this committee have. i would say that with regard to

the attack on medicaid that we just heard. it was a false attack. it has been proven false overnight. the medicaid portal is operating efficiently today and never intended to shut down. >> there was a significant amount of time yesterday where there was bedlam across the country over the status of the medicate portals. there were problems all through the day. i hope it is being corrected. >> there were attacks yesterday. the problem has been clarified and medicaid portal is fully operational as we speak. mr. kennedy, before i turn the time over to you to share your opening statement, i would like to give you a brief introduction. the son of senator robert f. kennedy and nephew of robert f. kennedy. he has been an advocate for consumers since 1985. after graduating from harvard university, mr. kennedy studied

at the london school of economics and received his law degree from the university of virginia law school and a master's degree in environmental law from pace university. he has founded two advocacy groups and spent the last 40 years working to restore and protect children's health. he was a former independent candidate in the 2024 presidential election and president trump nominated him this year to be the -- in november of 2024 to be the hhs secretary. in announcing his nomination, president trump stated mr. kennedy will restore these agencies to the traditions of gold standard, scientific research and make america great and healthy again.

before you give your opening statement, mr. kennedy, i have four questions that we ask all nominees before this committee. first, is there anything that you are aware of in your background that might present a conflict of interest with the duties of the office to which you have been nominated? >> no, mr. chairman. >> do you know of any reason personal or otherwise, that would in any way prevent you from fully and honorably discharging the responsibilities of the office to which you have been nominated. >> no, i do not. >> do you agree without reservation to respond to any reasonable summons to appear and testify before any duly constituted committee of conference if confirmed? >> yes, i do. >> finally, do you commit to providing a prompt response in writing to any questions by any senator of this combaty? >> yes, i do. >> before you begin if you would like to you may introduce your

wife and children. >> yes. my wife, cheryl hines, is here. my daughter, kit kennedy, my son, bobby kennedy. his wife, and my nephew jackson hines is here, too. >> you may proceed with your statement. >> thank you, mr. chairman. chairman, and ranking member and members of this distinguished committee i'm humbled to be sitting here today as president trump's nominee to oversee the u.s. department of health and human services. i want to thank president trump for entrusting me to deliver on his promise to make america healthy again. i have also want to thank cheryl and kick and bobby and all my other children who are here today and all the many members of my large extended family for the love that they have so

generously shared. ours has always been a family that has been involved in public service and i look forward to continuing that tradition. my journey into the issue of health began as my career as an environmental attorney working with hunters and fishermen and mothers in this small town in the hudson valley along the hudson river. i learned very early on that human health and environmental injuries are intertwined. the same chemicals that kill fish make people sick also. today americans overall health is in grievous condition. over70% of adults and a third of children are overweight or obese. diabetes is ten times more prevalent than it was during the 1960s. cancer among young people is rising by one or 2% a year.

autoimmune diseases, neuro developmental disorders, alzheimer's, asthma, adhd, depression, addiction and a host of other physical and mental health conditions are all on the rise. some of them exponentially. the united states has worse health than any other developed nation. yet we spend more on healthcare and in some cases triple as other countries. last year we spent 4.8 trillion not counting the indirect costs of missed work. that's almost a fifth of gdp. it is tantamount to a 20% tax on the entire economy. no wonder america has trouble competing with countries that pay a third of what we do for health and have better outcomes and a healthier workforce. i don't want to make this too much about money. it is the human tragedy that moves us to care.

president trump has promised to restore america's global strength and to restore the american dream but he understands that we can't be a strong nation when our people are so sick. a healthy person has a thousand dreams, a sick person has only one. today over half of our country men and women are chronically ill. when i met with president trump last summer i discovered that he is more than just concerned for this tragic situation but genuine care. president trump is committed to restoring the american dream and 77 million americans delivered a mandate to him to do just that. due in part to the embrace and elevation of the make america healthy again movement. this movement led largely by maha moms from every state. you can see many of them behind us today and in the hallways and

in the lobbies, is one of the most transcendent and powerful movements i've ever seen. i promised president trump if confirmed i will do everything in my power to put the health of americans back on track. i've been greatly heartened to discover a deep level of care among members of this committee, too, both democrats and republicans. i came away from our conversations confident we can put aside our divisions for the sake of a healthy america. for a long time the nation has been locked in a divisive healthcare debate about who pays. and healthcare costs reached 20% there are no good options, only bad ones. shifting the burden around between government and corporations and insurers and providers and families is like rearranging deck chairs on the titanic. our country will sink beneath a

sea of desperation and debt if we don't change the course and ask why are our healthcare costs so high in the first place? the obvious answer is chronic disease. the cdc says 90% of healthcare spending goes toward managing chronic disease, which hits lower income americans the hardest. the president's pledge is not to make some americans happy again and healthy again but to make all of our people healthy again. there is no single culprit in chronic disease. much as i have criticized certain industries and agencies, president trump and i understand that most of the scientists and experts genuinely care about american health. therefore, we'll bring together all stakeholders in pursuit of this unifying goal. before i conclude, i want to make sure the committee is clear about a few things. news reports have claimed that i am anti-vaccine or

anti-industry. i am neither. i am pro-safety. [yelling from the crowd] >> we'll have order. please proceed, mr. kennedy. >> i am pro-safety, i worked for years to raise awareness about the mercury and toxic chemicals in fish and nobody called me anti-fish. and i believe that vaccines play a critical role in healthcare. all of my kids are vaccinated, i have written many books on vaccines. my first book in 2014, first line of it is i am not anti-vaccine and the last line i am not anti-vaccine. nor am i the enemy of food producers. american farms are the bedrock

of our culture, politics and national security. i was a 4h kid and spent my summer working on ranchs. i went to work with our farmers. i want to work with our farmers and food producers to remove burdensome regulations and unleash american inbegin knew tee. we cannot succeed without american farmers. in my advocacy i have often disturbed the status quo by asking uncomfortable questions. well, i'm not going to apologize for that. we have massive health problems in this country that we must face honestly. and the first thing i have done every morning for the past 20 years is to get on my knees and pray to god that he would put me in a position to end the chronic disease epidemic and to help america's children. that's why i'm so grateful to

president trump, the opportunity to sit before you today and seek your support and partnership in this endeavor. i will conclude with a promise. the members of committee, to the president and to all the tens of billions after parents across america. especially the moms who put this issue to center stage. should i be so privileged as to be confirmed we'll make sure our tax dollars support healthy foods. we will scrutinize the chemical additives in our food supply and remove financial conflicts of interest from our agencies. we will create an honest, unbiased, gold standard science at hhs accountable to the president, to congress, and to the american people. we will reverse the chronic disease epidemic and put the nation back on the road to good health. thank you.

>> thank you, mr. kennedy. mr. kennedy, i will begin. each of us will have five minutes to ask you questions and then at the conclusion of the hearing if there are further questions, there will be an opportunity for those questions to be submitted to you and i ask that you respond to them promptly. mr. kennedy, you have emphasized the importance of nutrition in preventing and managing chronic disease, improving health outcomes and reducing health costs. i share your interest in the relationship between our diet and our well-being. if confirmed i look forward to partnering with you on those efforts. would you share with the committee why you are passionate about the nutrition-oriented disease prevention and what you have learned. >> yes, mr. chairman. i have 11 brothers and sisters. i had das dozens of first

cousins. i was raised when we didn't have chronic disease. when my uncle was present 2% had chronic disease, now it's 60%. today we spend 4.3 trillion a year on chronic disease with 77% of our kids cannot qualify for military service. when i was a kid, the typical pediatrician would see one case of diabetes in his or her lifetime. 40 or 50 year career. one out of every three kids who walks through her office door is diabetic or pre-diabetic. 38% of teens are diabetic or pre-diabetic. autism rates have gone to one in 15,000 to ten in 1500. 70 year old men born in my kids'

generation. we've seen an explosion of autoimmune disease, allergic diseases. we are -- this is not just an economic issue. not just a national security issue, it is a spiritual issue and a moral issue. we cannot live and do our role as a more all authority around the world and writing off an entire generation of kids. >> thank you very much. if confirmed, how could we work together to integrate nutrition-based interventions into our healthcare programs like medicaid and medicare? >> there are many ways that we can do that. federal funding of the snap program, for example, school lunch programs could be a driver for helping kids. we shouldn't be giving 60% of the kids in school processed food that is making them sick. we shouldn't be giving --

spending 10% of the snap program on sugar drinks. we have a direct ability to change things there. we also in medicaid and medicare we need to focus on outcome-based medicine. on putting people in charge of their own healthcare. making them accountable for their own healthcare so they understand the relationship between eating and getting sick. most importantly, we need to use deploy nih, nfda to doing the research to understand the relationship between these different food additives and chronic disease so that americans understand it and make sure that americans -- i don't want to take food away from anybody. if you like a mcdonalds cheeseburger, diet coke, which my boss loves, you should be able to get them if you want to

eat hostess twinkies you should do that but know what the impacts are on your family and health. >> thank you, senator wyden. >> thank you very much. before i begin my questions i want to start by entering into the record a letter the committee received from ambassador caroline kennedy outlining she believes her lack of personal fitness for the office. >> without objection. >> mr. kennedy, you have spent years pushing conflicting stories about vaccines. you say one thing and then you say another. in your testimony today under oath you denied that you were anti-vaccine. but during a podcast interview in july of 2023 you said quote, no vaccine is safe and effective. in your testimony today in order to prove you are not anti-vax you know all your kids are vaccinated. but in a podcast in 2020 you said, and i quote, you would do

anything, pay anything, to go back in time and not vaccinate your kids. mr. kennedy, all of these things cannot be true. so are you lying to congress today when you say you are pro-vaccine or did you lie on all those podcasts? we have all of this on tape, by the way. >> senator, as you know, because it's been repeatedly debunked that statement i made on the podcast was a fragment of the statement. he asked me and anybody who goes and looks at that podcast will see this. he asked me are there vaccines that are safe and effective and i said to him some of the live wireous vaccines are. i said there are no vaccines that are safe and effective and i was going to continue for every person, every medicine has people who are sensitive to

them, including vaccines. he interrupted me at that point. i have corrected it many times, including on national tv. you know about this, senator. bring this up right now is dishonest. >> let's be clear about what you have actually done then since you want to deny your statements. for example, you have a history of trying to take vaccines away from people. in may of 2021 you petitioned the food and drug administration to not only block americans from having access to the covid vaccine, but to prevent any future access to the lifesaving vaccine. are you denying that? your name is on the petition. >> we brought that petition after cdc recommended covid vaccine without any scientific basis for 6-year-old children.

most experts agree today, even the people who didn't back then, that covid vaccines are inappropriate for 6-year-old children who basically have a zero risk of covid. that's why i brought that lawsuit. i don't want to -- i want to emphasize this. i don't -- >> mr. kennedy. the fact -- [shouting in the hearing from the audience] >> the hearing will be in order and to the audience. hold on for a second. to the audience, comments from the audience are inappropriate and out of order. if there are any further disruptions, the committee will recess until the police can restore order. please follow the rules of the committee. mr. kennedy, you may proceed. >> i also want to point out that your hesitation of what happened

in somoa is absolutely wrong. you know it's wrong. >> we'll get to that in a moment. right now we talk about the petition that you filed to block americans from having access to the vaccine and to prevent any future access to the vaccine. those facts are on the record. my third question to you is you made almost $5 million from book deals mostly promoting junk science. in 2020 you wrote parents are led to believe measles is a deadly disease and vaccines are necessary, safe and effective. reality is measles are, in fact, deadly in highly contagious something you should have learned after your lies contributed to the deaths of 83 people most of them children in a measles outbreak in somoa. my question here is mr. kennedy, is measles deadly, yes or no? >> the death rate from measles

historically in this country in 1963, the year before the introduction of the vaccine, was one in 10,000. let me explain what happened in samoa. in 2015 there, there are two kids who died following the mmr vaccine. and the vaccination rates in samoa dropped 63% to the mid 30s. never very high. in 20182 more kids died following the mmr vaccine and the government in somoa banned the vaccine. i arrived a year later when vaccination rates were already below any previous level. i went there nothing to do with vaccines. i went there to introduce a medical system that will digitalize records and make healthcare more efficient.

i never gave any public statement about vaccines. you cannot find a single so mowian who will say i didn't get a vaccine because of bobby kennedy. i went in june of 2019. the measles outbreak started in august. clearly i had nothing to do with the measles. not only that, senator, not only that, if you will let me finish. if you let me finish, senator. if you let me finish, there are 83 people died. tissues samples sent to new zealand, most of those people did not have measles. we don't know what was killing them. the same outbreak occurred in tonga and fiji and no extra people died. seven measles outbreaks 13 years prior to my arrival. >> i would like to get my time back. the nominee wrote a book saying that people had been misled into believing that measles is a deadly disease. he is trying now to play down his role in somoa.

not what the parents or governor green says, it is time to make sure we blow the whistle on actually what your views are at least we are starting. >> i support the measles vaccine. i support the polio vaccine. i will do nothing as hhs secretary to makes it difficult or discourages people from taking that. >> anybody who believes it ought to look at the measles book you wrote saying parents are misled that measles is a deadly disease. that's not true. >> senator grassley. >> welcome. i'm going to do like i did in my office, i am just going to make some points to you. i got seven i want to quickly get done. and then at the end i am going to ask if you disagree with anything i say and then address those things you disagree with. i will make sure i save time for you to do that.

a key responsibility of each member of congress is oversight. oversight allows us to hold bureaucrats accountable to the rule of law and helps keep faith with taxpayers. i expect hhs to provide timely and complete responses to congressional oversight. number two, pbms. something you and i discussed in our office. i've been working to hold pharmacy benefit managers accountable in order to lower prescription drug prices. i expect you to work with us to hold pbms accountable and that may even ask in your support for legislation that is before the congress. drug pricing. senator durbin and i have for a while been trying to get a bill passed that requires price disclosures on tv ads for prescription drugs knowing what something costs before buying it is just common sense, president

trump tried to do this by regulation in his first term, vice president vance co-sponsored our bill last congress. i ask you to support this bill. or if you can do it by regulation, to do it by regulation. on rural healthcare, the previous administration dragged its feet in opening up slots for rural community hospital demonstration programs. it also ignored concerns from rural pharmacies when implementing changes to medicare part d and ignored rural needs when it comes to distributing physician residency slots. i expect you to prioritize rural americans' healthcare needs. on agriculture, in our meeting earlier this month, we talked at length about agriculture. you prefaceed the conversation you will not have jurisdiction over these issues.

i expect you to leave agricultural practice regulations to the proper agencies and for the most part that's usda and epa. on dietary guidelines, i've sent letters to the secretaries of agriculture, hhs, requesting that they provide information regarding conflicts of interest on the dietary guideline advisory committee to increase transparency. i expect you to provide congress with confidential financial disclosures from the advisory committee before finalizing dietary guidelines so we know that nobody has a vested interest in it is having undue influence. lastly, hhs office of refugee resettlement oversight. last year i expanded my investigation into hhs's office

of refugee resettlement. i wrote two dozen contractors and grantees who job it is to place unaccompanied children with sponsors. in many cases children have been placed with improper sponsors placing them at risk of trafficking. the biden administration's hhs directed these taxpayer funded contractors and grantees to not respond to my inquiry. this is obstruction by the executive branch. i expect you to produce to me the records and data i have requested and instruct hhs contractors to fully cooperate with my investigation. i also expect hhs to not retaliate against any whistleblowers, including those who identify orrs failures to

vetting sponsors. you have 45 seconds to respond if you want to. >> i agree with all of those provisions, senator. my approach to administration, hhs will be radical transparency. if members of this committee or members of congress want information, the doors are open. i've spent many years litigating against nih and its sub agencies. hhs. and sub agencies, nih, cdc, fda on those issues trying to get information that we the taxpayers paid for and oftentimes getting back redacted copies after a year or two years of litigation. that should not be the case and if congress asks me for information, you will get it immediately. >> thank you. >> thank you, senator cat wel is next. until she returns i'll move down the list and that would be senator cornyn.

>> mr. kennedy, welcome to you and your family and congratulations. i appreciate senator grassley raising the issue of the office of refugee resettlement within the auspices of health and human services. this may surprise people but that's actually the responsibility of hhs, the office of resettlement relocation. under the previous administration as senator grassley alluded there were roughly 500,000 children unaccompanied minors that were placed with sponsors in the interior of the united states. the previous administration took the position it wasn't the federal government's responsibility once children were placed with these sponsors. but "the new york times" in a series of investigative stories pointed out that tens of thousands of these children, when they tried to follow up and find out how they were doing, whether they were going to school, whether they were being trafficked or abused, there was

no answer. they took the position it with as not their responsibility. so i look forward to working with you to find those children and to make sure that they are not being abused. millions of americans are experiencing mild to moderate mental health and substance abuse issues, yet many struggle with timely and effective access. primary care physicians are most likely to be seeing these individuals as opposed to a specialist and it makes it important that these individuals, primary care physicians, be trained in patient-centered care to strengthen the integration of behavioral healthcare with primary care services. is this something that you are concerned about, something you would be willing to work with us on in order to implement? >> yes, senator. let me just reassure you that president trump has personally spoken to me about locating

those 300,000 children who disappeared over the last four years. >> i don't think anybody has a fully accurate number but it is hundreds of thousands, i agree. >> many we know have been sex trafficked and childhood slavery and it is a blight on america's moral authority and we need to find those kids. in terms of addiction services, substance abuse services, this is a priority for me. it was a priority for me when i was running for president during my campaign. i was a heroin addict for 14 years and 42 years in recovery. i go to 12 step meetings every day so i hear the stories every day. and i hear the many stories about denial -- the barriers to access to care. and we need to improve that. answer specifically to your question, i think we can do that

through gme, to -- which is a program that is funded by hhs that is the largest funder for medical school students and that's one of the things for primary care physicians should be -- should understand addiction care. addicts almost always go through a cycle where areas a moment where they hit per oddic bought moments to go into treatment. it is momentary. if we miss that little short window they're off to the races again. >> let me -- i appreciate your answer. our time is short. let me get to one more question. i think it is very important. under the first trump administration, a number of people receiving hiv treatment in africa through the

president's emergency plan for aids relief, otherwise known as: . this is during the first trump administration from 13 million people to 18 million people across 50 countries. primarily in africa. africa has about 1.3 billion people today, in 2021. it is projected to have 2.5 billion people by 2050 or 25% of the global population. in 2020, they reported that 2.8 million babies were born without h.i.v. something that would not have happened but for the program. so what has been one of the most successful health programs in the world and saved approximately 26 million lives, failure to continue this program in my view would risk ceding to leadership to china and i want

to know whether you support the goals of that agency and work with my colleagues to make sure this program continues to provide lifesaving antiviral drugs to people who most in need? >> i absolutely support that program. and i will happily work with you to strengthen the program. >> thank you. >> senator bennett. >> thank you mr. kennedy for being here this morning. i think that mr. chairman we are truly through the looking glass this morning here in the u.s. senate and this committee is being asked to fulfill a really important responsibility, which is to decide whether to confirm mr. kennedy to one of the most important healthcare jobs in america. and the reason i think it's so important is for many of the reasons you said in your opening statement, which is that we live in the richest country in the world and we have some of the worst health outcomes of any

industrialized country in the world. we live in the richest country in the world and we have some of the lowest life expectancy rates of anybody in the industrial idesize i had world. i was a school superintendent before i was in this job. mr. kennedy is right that when i look at the kids in the denver public schools if we don't change the way we eat in this country 40% of them are going to suffer adult diabetes as a result of their diet. and as i said we're spending more than any other country in the world and our families every single person's constituents in this senate are facing chronic shortages when it comes to healthcare. my friend from texas, senator cornyn, has been a champion on mental healthcare. we have an epidemic as he knows

across this country in mental healthcare. partly because of what the -- the massive social media platforms that were sitting behind the president of united states have inflicted on our children for their profit in the last decade or so. so we have no shortage of challenges to confront. i even agree with some of the diagnosis of mr. kennedy. what is so disturbing to me is that out of 330 million americans, we're being asked to put somebody in this job who has spent 50 years of his life not honoring the tradition that he talked about at the beginning of this conversation but peddling in half truths and false statements, peddling in theories that, you know, create doubt about whether or not things that

we know are safe are unsafe. not that every vaccine in america is unsafe. not that you can't possibly have an adverse reaction, but that parents and children in my own school district and school districts all over the country would be better off not getting vaccinated than getting vaccinated. unlike his own children, who were vaccinated. unlike the people he invited to his house in los angeles for their party who were vaccinated, for everybody else it is about peddling these half truth and says it with such conviction that you want to believe him. and mr. kennedy, i just have some -- there are many, many things in the record but i hope that you could answer these questions yes or no. i have tried to ask these in a manner that's faithful to what you actually said because i didn't want to have a debate whether you actually said them. so i'm asking you yes or no, mr. kennedy, did you say that covid-19 was a genetically

engineered bioweapon that targets black and white people but spared jews and chinese people? >> i didn't say it was deliberately targeted. i just quoted an nih-funded, an nih-published study. i quoted a study. i quoted an nih study that showed that. >> i will note that. did you say that lyme disease is highly likely a materially evening erred bioweapon? did you say lyme disease is a highly likely militarily engineered bioweapon? >> i probably did say that. >> did you say that -- >> i want all of our colleagues to hear it, mr. kennedy. i want them to hear it. you said yes. did you say that exposure to

pesticides causes children to become transgender. >> no, i never said that. >> i have the record that i will give to the chairman and he can make his judgment about what you said. did you write in your book, it is undeniable that african aids is an entirely different disease from western aids, yes or no, mr. kennedy? >> i'm not sure if i made that. >> i will give it to the chairman. my final question, did you say on a podcast, and i quote, i wouldn't leave it, abortion to the states. my belief is we should leave it to the woman. we shouldn't have the government involved even if it's full term. did you say that, mr. kennedy? >> senator, i believe every abortion is a tragedy. >> did you say it, mr. kennedy? this matters? it doesn't matter what you come here and say that isn't true that's not reflective of what you really believe.

that you haven't seen over decade after decade because unlike other jobs we're confirming around this place this is a job where it is life and death for the kids that i used to work for in the denver public schools and for families all over this country that are suffering from living in the richest country in the world that can't deliver basic healthcare and basic mental healthcare to them. it is too important for the games that you are playing, mr. kennedy. and i hope my colleagues will say to the president i have no influence over him, i hope my colleagues will say to the president out of 330 million americans we can do better than this. >> we need to move on. thank you. senator cassidy. >> mr. kennedy, president trump has sworn to protect medicare, republicans are exploring reforms to medicaid that could help pay for trump

administration priorities. with this context, what will you do about dual eligibles? >> dual eligibles are not right now served very well under this system. those are people who are eligible for both medicaid and medicare. and the -- i suppose my answer to that is to make sure that the programs are consolidated. that they are integrated and the care is integrated. i look forward to working with you, dr. cassidy, on making sure that we take good care of people who are -- >> how do you propose that we integrate those programs? does medicare pay more or less, medicaid pay more or less? how do we do that? >> i'm not exactly sure because i'm not in there. it is difficult to integrate

them because medicaid -- medicare is under a fee for service, paid for by employer taxes, medicaid is -- is fully paid for by the federal government and it is not fee for service. so i don't -- i do not know the answer to that. i look forward to exploring options with you. >> republicans again are looking at ways to potentially reform medicaid to help, you know, pay for president trump's priorities but to improve outcomes. what thoughts do you have regarding medicaid reform? >> well, medicaid is not working for americans and it is specifically not working for the target population. most americans like myself, i'm on medicare advantage and very happy with it. most people are on medicaid are not happy. the premiums are too high.

deductibles are too high. networks are narrow. the best doctors will not accept it and the best hospitals. and particularly medicaid was originally designed for a target population it has been dramatically expanded and the irony of the expansion is that the poorest americans are now being robbed. their services have dramatically decreased even though we've increased the price of medicare by 60% over the last four years. the target population is being robbed. there has to be other options. >> what reforms do you recommend again that would improve services, i suppose, but also make it more cost efficient? >> president trump has given me the charge of improving quality of care and lowering the price

of care for all americans. there are many things we can do. what we want, the ultimate outcome i think is to increase transparency, to increase accountability. and to transition to a value-based system rather than a fee-based system or service-based system. >> can you take those general principles and apply it to the medicaid program from medicare? >> listen, i think that there is many, many options with telemedicine and a.i. right now and there is -- including direct primary care systems. we're seeing that movement roll across the country. there is one of the largest providers -- >> so going back to medicaid, though, and speaking of these specific advances, how would you -- what reforms are you

proposing with these ideas, vis-a-vis medicaid? >> i don't have a broad proposal for dismantling the program. >> of course i'm not saying that. >> i think what we need to do is experiment with pilot programs in each state. we need to keep our eye on the ultimate goal, which is value-based care and transparency, accountability, access. >> going back to medicare, you mention you are on ma and the medicare fee for service. do you have any thoughts as to whether or not patients on fee for service should move into ma or how should we handle that? >> whether patients who -- >> on medicare -- >> traditional medicare? >> that's their choice right now. i think we have 32 million americans or 30 million americans on medicare, traditional medicare and another

34 -- 34 on medicare advantage. roughly half and half. and i think more people would rather be on medicare advantage because it offers very good services. people can't afford it. it is much more expensive. in answer to your first question, there is -- there are all kinds of exciting things that we can be doing including cooperatives, president trump has supported. including health savings accounts, which president trump has supported. all of these things to make people more accountable for their own health. >> bring the cooperative and health savings accounts into medicare and medicaid. >> exactly. try to increase those, the use of those and to direct primary care to continue to transition to -- into a