hhs, health and human services, $145 billion. veteran affairs almost $138 billion dollars. state and international programs , $70 billion. homeland security, $60 billion. energy, $52 billion. justice department, nearly $40 billion. agriculture department, nearly $30 billion. transportation, 28 billion dollars. nasa, $27 billion. the treasury department, 16 billion dollars. the labor department would get $15 billion. once you get your reaction to the president's budget request here. democrats, 202-748-8000. republicans, 202-748-8001. independents, 202-748-8002. here is what the president said about taxing wealthier americans and corporations. [video clip] pres. biden: maga republicans refuse to raise signal taxes on the wealthiest people. raise your hand, anybody who thinks our current federal tax system is fair, raise your hand. i'm not judging. -- i am not joking. we found in the year 2020. 55 major corporations in fortune 500 companies paid zero in federal income tax on $40 billion in profit. i assisted on a horrible thing to burden on them. i just legislation making sure

department of health and human services. secretary becerra is a former member of congress, serving 12 terms in the u.s. house of representatives before becoming the attorney general of the state of california. in both his previous roles, he championed issues related to health, security, patient safety , combating the opioid crisis and protecting health care access. secretary becerra has made one of his top priorities to strengthen our country's behavioral health. he is leaving hhs to combat the growing mental health crisis in our country, particularly related to the issues of substance abuse, youth mental health and suicide. without further ado, i would like to welcome the 25th secretary of the department of health and human services, javier becerra. [applause] >> thank you very much. thank you very much for letting me join you. thanks for your friendship. thanks for letting me work with you on so many issues. certainly as the attorney general of california, we had a chance to do a lot of things together. i am excited to see

that program is housed with in the health and human services agency and the federal government. and to date that is that program is not i can say with certainty that program is not working. one is not transparent. so we have no idea. oh, who is reviewing our records? who, how they're making a determination of whether the, what happened to us was caused by the vaccine or not. so there's absolutely no transparency, 3 to the burden of evidence for proof is on me. so i am instructed by them to submit all my medical records and then they, they make a determination of what has happened. there is no dialogue, so i don't know if they've received everything that they need or if they've even received everything that i've requested the doctors to send. so you're kind of kind of just dialoguing with a black hole. so i applied for compensation over a year ago and to date i have heard nothing from the program. i had contacted them and they tell me they're still waiting for my records and it's been 4 times now that i've requested all my records to be sent from my doctors. the next thing i can

that program is housed with in the health and human services agency, the federal government. and to date that is that program is not i can say with certainty that program is not working one, it's not transparent. so we have no idea. oh, or who is reviewing our records? who, how they're making a determination of whether the, what happened to us was caused by the vaccine or not. so there's absolutely no transparency, 3 to the burden of evidence for proof is on me. so i am instructed by them to submit all my medical records and then they did, they make a determination of what has happened. there is no dialogue, so i don't know if they've received everything that they need or if they've even received everything that i've requested the doctors to send. so you're kind of kind of just dialoguing with a black hole. so i applied for compensation over a year ago and to date i have heard nothing from the program. i had contacted them and they tell me they're still waiting for my records and it's been 4 times now that i've requested all my records to be sent from my doctors. the next thin

i understand you heard from some key folks in other agencies at the health and human services, and our surgeon general, and others where we are trying to have a much more integrated approach of the federal government level. we have been, as responsible as other governments in breaking down these issues into silos and kind of living in our silos to address particular problems. and one of the things that we have been trying to be much more intentional about now is looking at what kinds of supports are at the health and human services to support community based treatment and access to it. how can we, both fund and support local jails and local counties to be able to provide the type of access to treatment in community, we'll also making sure that our own prison system through the bureau of presence is strengthening its mental health services. so we are operating on this at all levels of a problem. and it is why i am always eager to learn and hear from you all about what you are experiencing in your communities, and how we might be able to better support. >> and you touched on this, but we

department of health and human services. secretary breast sarah is a former member of congress serving 12 terms in the u.s. house of representatives, before becoming the attorney general for the state of california. in both his previous roles you championed issues relating to help, security, patience safety, combatting the opioid crisis, and protecting health care access. secretary becerra has made one of his top priorities of hhs to strengthen our countries behavioral health. he's leading hhs to combat the growing mental health crisis of our country. particularly related to issues of substance abuse, youth mental health, and suicide. so, without further ado i would like to welcome the 25th secretary of the united states department of health and human services, secretary javier breast sarah. we >> thank you. we thank you very much. supervisor berger, fort thank you very much for letting me join you. thanks for your friendship, thanks for letting me work with you on so many issues whether as a member of congress, certainly as

health and substance abuse services. if we keep families healthy, we can keep children safe. [applause] >> secondly, directing the department of health and human services to a clinical substance abuse disorder, every child welfare district in maine to better recognize the influence of substance abuse, navigate the risks of the children and to steal parents into treatment and make sure they get there. the strategy works, providing experts in domestic violence. to confront abuse in the home and combat its profound effects on children in particular. i directed the department of health and human services to engage recovery approachs with lived experiences to assist those struggling with substance abuse disorder. remember the opposite of addiction is not sobriety, but connections. these people share their own experiences with parents and walk them along the road to recovery while also making sure children are protected. and lastly, i want to expand the number of family recovery courts in maine. these specialty courts work with families whose children are at risk for those struggling with substance abuse disorder. i tend to engage with the chief jus

later, the health and human services secretary talks about the importance >>

and retain mental health professionals. provide inpatient cert and access to crisis services such as suicide prevention hotline's. including one specifically for veterans and community-based treatment services. last year i directed health and human services director to initiate an immediate review of our state funding and delivery system. it became clear from his efforts the time has come to modernize and restructure delivery agencies in the department of mental health in the department of health and human services the department of health and environmental controls among others. my executive budget includes a 5 million appropriation to the department of administration for the purpose of procuring expertise necessary to analyze and provide the general assembly by june 30, 2020 for the comprehensive plan to restructure these agencies consolidating and privatizing wherever possible. our booming economy sometimes put our state agencies at a disadvantage with the private sector and recruiting and retaining good employees. my executive budget $78 million for recruitment and retention salary increases for state employees. $2,000,000.1 time 2500-dollar sign on both her first time state government hires. $2 million to the department of

on this latest investment in medicaid access, we're joined by north carolina secretary of health and human servicesley. secretary kinsley, welcome to the "newshour.” kody kinsley, north carolina secretary of health and human services: great to be here. thank you. geoff: north carolina is expanding medicaid to adults who make up to 138% of the federal poverty level. so that would be about $41,000 you for a family of four. you have you have been traveling the state talking to people who would benefit from this expanded access. what are you hearing and what are you seeing? kody: people are really excited. first, i want to just thank the governor for building such a broad coalition of people that have worked so hard over the last decade to get us to where we are today. but, in the last few years, some things have changed. first and foremost, the additional payments from the biden administration to really incentivize states to join medicaid changed the conversation. and then also seeing people experience the mental health crisis that were in this country today has made people realize and that we have go

we are meeting today to discuss with secretary becerra the budget of department of human and health and human services. the budget comes down to a simple proposition, helping working families and the middle class get ahead, and reducing the federal deficit are not mutually exclusive. so today, we're committed to doinged both. when it comes to health care, that means protecting medicare for the next generation by making sure that the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes, strengthen medicare's negotiating power for the cost of prescription medicine and investing in priorities like mental health care, home-based care, and the healthcare workforce. that's a sharp contrast the republican approach to the federal budget. since the beginning of the year there is basically been demand for secret negotiations on cuts to federal programs while holding hostage the full faith and credit of the united states government. budget committee chair white house and i asked a nonpartisan congressional budget office to run the numbers, , and it's cler the republican promises to spare certain parts of the budget like social

and retain mental health professionals, provide inpatient services, increase access to crisis services such as suicide prevention hotlines, including one specifically for veterans and community-based treatment services. last year, i directed health and human director robbie kerr to initiate an immediate review of our states behavioral health funding and delivery system. it became clear from director kerr's efforts that the time has come to modernize and restructure south carolina's siloed healthcare delivery agencies: the department of mental health, the department of health and human services, the department of health and environmental control, among others. my executive budget includes a $5 million appropriation to the department of administration for the purpose of procuring the professional expertise necessary to analyze and provide the general assembly, by june 30, 2024, with a comprehensive plan to restructure these agencies, consolidating and privatizing services where possible. our booming economy sometimes puts our state agencies at a disadvantage with the private sector in recruiting and retaining good employees. my executive budget provides $78 million for recruitment and retention salary increases for state employees; $2 milli

. >> the health and human services secretary talked about the importance of addressing racial inequityhealth care system.

environmental protection agency. 13.6 for both education and energy departments. 11.5 for health and human services. defense in 2022 was only 3% of g.d.p. down from 6% during the cold war. even though americans challenges today are more numerous. mr. biden's largest failure is promising his budget will keep america safe instead of leveling about the threats. end of quote. we have -- should have a return of bipartisan support for defending american families. in conclusion, god bless our troops who successfully protected america for 20 years as the global war on terrorism continues moving from afghanistan to the safe haven of america. thank you, prime minister of japan, for the courage to visit kyiv, ukraine, this week, as democracies unite against war criminal putin. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, i rise to place in the record the names of three

trying to be much more intentional about now is looking at what kind of supports are added to health and human services to support community based treatment and access to it. how can we both fund and support local jails and local counties to be able to provide the type of access to treatment in communities, while also making sure that our own prison system through the bureau of prisons is strengthening its mental health services. so we are operating on this at all levels, and it's why i'm always eager to learn and hear from you all about what you're experiencing in your communities and how we might be able to better support you. >> we mentioned earlier that an estimated 2 million individuals with serious 12 conditions are booked into county jails each year. can you shed some light on how doj is working specifically with local communities to help these individuals, and what resources might be available? all of us want to know about resources. >> on the jail side, we've been doing a lot of work with sheriffs and mental health providers and we've been doing a lot of work on justice reform and efforts arou

thirdly, i have directed the department of health and human services to reengage recovery coaches to assist parents who are dealing with substitute disorder. remember that the opposite of addiction is not necessarily sobriety but connection. these people can share their own experiences with parents and walk them along the road to recovery while also making sure that children are protected. lastly, i want to expand the number of family recovery records in maine. these specialty courses work with families whose children are at risk because the parents are dealing with substance abuse disorder. i plan to engage with the attorney general and others to expand these courses and -- quartz and promote them aggressively as a way to get parents into treatment and keep them there and closely monitor their progress and ultimately unite them with their children only when it is appropriate to do so. this approach recognizes the safety of our children is deeply entwined with our families and our communities and that each of those is threatened by the growing prevalence of dangerous, deadly drugs. i

so, i want to read this because this is what those 14 republican sent over to the health and human servicess that allowed access to cross treatment without parental consent had a 14% higher suicide rate than those in states where parental consent was higher. what you make of the statement? >> you know, it's absolutely heartbreaking. why would any child for any surgery want to go through anything without their parents? without their loved ones? their family there to support them? i think it is deceitful and it's backwards for certain individuals to try to push these types of surgeries and procedures on children without preventable involvement or the family support. you know, trace, gender dysphoria, the crisis is that young children are facing, it's a critical and sensitive issue. we have to take it seriously. whenever i have a patient or if there is a person who is experiencing and gender identity issue, the very first thing you do is you conduct a physical examination. and you check the vital signs, they are thyroid, you do blood work, un ensure they undergo therapy and counseling so you c

hhs, health and human services, $145 billion. veteran affairs almost $138 billion dollars. state and international programs , $70 billion. homeland security, $60 billion. energy, $52 billion. justice department, nearly $40 billion. agriculture department, nearly $30 billion. transportation, 28 billion dollars. nasa, $27 billion. the treasury department, 16 billion dollars. the labor department would get $15 billion. once you get your reaction to the president's budget request here. democrats, 202-748-8000. republicans, 202-748-8001. independents, 202-748-8002. here is what the president said about taxing wealthier americans and corporations. [video clip] pres. biden: maga republicans refuse to raise signal taxes on the wealthiest people. raise your hand, anybody who thinks our current federal tax system is fair, raise your hand. i'm not judging. -- i am not joking. we found in the year 2020. 55 major corporations in fortune 500 companies paid zero in federal income tax on $40 billion in profit. i assisted on a horrible thing to burden on them. i just legislation making sure

geoff: kody kinsley is the secretary of health and human services for the state of north carolina. being with us. secretary kinsley: thank you. ♪ amna: 2016, north carolina was in the spotlight when it became the first state to pass a bill barring transgender people from using bathrooms consistent with their gender identity. the loss park national outrage and was repealed a year later. in the last week or so, idaho, iowa and arkansas have passed their own versions of bathroom bills. arkansas is on the verge of passing an even more restrictive bill. we have the latest. >> last week, arkansas banned students from kindergarten through high school of using public school bathrooms that match their gender identity. another bill in the state would allow someone to be charged with a misdemeanor if they enter a public changing room of the opposite sex with so-called sexual intent and a minor. is psent. . six states have passed bathroom bills of their own. bathroom bills have been filed by republicans in at least 15 states. for more on these bills and their impact, i am joined by joe. they c

time, but everything, and this is a whole of government approach, so we have partners and health and human serviceswe work with them every single day, and veterans affairs. everyone in the u.s. government has to work and do what they can, to make sure we are getting americans what they need, at this devastating time. and we also understand that this is different, as much respect as i have for the work you've been doing for all these years, and i admire it so greatly i believe we are in the same situation, in some ways, but also very different ways that we are now seeing as many people are taking drugs, they don't even know they're taken as well. this is a catastrophic moment, where every part of government has to doing everything we can, to save lives. >> that's the thing, people don't know they're taking them. as somebody who's a new parent, i've got a couple years on this. my older sister and my youngest one. that they could be in college, and some of some some pills, they think it and xanax of some prescription pill and it kills them it's stunning. >> what we see the cartels doing is been delibe

our feet that mentored breach notifications, filed with the department of health and human services andoff yesterday, yesterday morning there are 63 different california-based breaches of unsecured protected health information under investigation, affecting over 90 million people. that's more than two times a state's population. the national scale of the problem is alarming. in addition to the inappropriate disclosure of personal information, any disruption to the systems used in the healthcare and public healthcare settings could be catastrophic for many americans relying on their services for care. when peterson for holding this important hearing for the first question may seem a little basic. i think it's critical for folks that are following this hearing in person and online. breaches in thef healthcare sector allow for disclosure of patient health information, as well as social security and other personal identifiable information. information is so sensitive for patients and why the health care sector in particular is such an attractive target for attacks. i will direct the questio

g s a reached out to the department, health and human services and housing and urban development. fellow members of the interagency council to explore the possibility of transferring the property to a local government. or qualified nonprofit. um, you know, through the mckinney vento act. this act. allows the federal government to transfer property ownership at no cost. if it is for housing and services for the homeless. and so the city and county of san francisco were able to take ownership of this mid market, very high prime real estate. they partnered with ec s and mercy housing. to create a new dream for local housing. and now we celebrate this dream being realized. regional commission. well at this time, there are many people who are very instrumental in making this happen, and i like to take a moment to recognize a few of the g s a staff who directly worked on this transfer. regional commissioner dan brown. real property disposal director david hac. disposal project manager and italy san francisco service center director jason cawthorne and regional chief architect maria surp

secretary of commerce, labor, transportation, treasury, energy, health and human services, environmental protection agency. they're the ones working together and meet regularly. and i want them to meet with your guys you put together a group, if i'm not mistaken, steny, to be able to work together. we've got to get it done. plus i hered two senior adviser, both of whom are pretty damn good, mitch landrieu, the former mayor of louisiana, and john podescu. they'll be here tomorrow, both of them, the bulk of my cab in the members discuss with you how we coordinate this it is important how we do it, get it out, go shovels in the ground, let people know what's happening and we change their lives. they know it when they see it. they'll see it and know why we did it. they'll bring together every elment of the federal government to invest wisely and quickly in the process they'll attract more private sector investment as well. get the best possible results for american workers an american families. we're going to let people know. we're going to get this done. we'll let them know, though. we're g

health foundation and the california health care foundation. again, we offer our thanks. and now, it is my pleasure to introduce secretary javier becerra. he is the 20 for secretary of the department of health and human services and the very first latino to hold office -- to hold that office in the history of the united states. as secretary, he will carry out president biden's vision to build a healthy america and his work will focus on ensuring that all americans have health, security, and access to health care. welcome, secretary. [applause] quick so on friday i had the pleasure of being with representative jackson and senator urban in chicago, illinois on friday, and we had a great event dealing with behavioral health, and then on saturday i got a call informing me that senator durbin had contracted covid. so i would be wearing my mask if i'm not using the microphone, and you would expect that from the secretary of health and human services. so, and i appreciate those who are wearing masks now to continue what i think will be a legacy of caring to ensure we're caring for ourselves and for others, not just a pandemic when, but when we can protect each other. i'd like to again by reflecting on what we mean w

the folks in charge of this, health and human services secretary javier becerra, we met with him in dallas during panel of young black men. >> i was suicidal my senior year of high school. >> people don't feel safe don't talk, they don't say anything, they just deal with it. that is why you have people committing suicide, turning to drugs and alcohol because they don't know where else to go. it starts with the youth. >> they cry out, shame on us that we have not prepared. >> reporter: is not acceptable we have young people in the er all over with mental health issues all over this country? >> it is not acceptable. it is not care. it is housing them. >> reporter: why has the federal government not done more ? >> it is pretty simple, money. >> reporter: we checked, the biden administration has dedicated more money to juvenile mental health than previous administrations. $1 billion over the next five years to pay for things like medical school to increase the number of mental health specialists and a goal of doubling counselors at schools. critics say those one-time grants are short-term answ

. >> haley hannah is an epidemiologist with marine county health and human services describing a program that began last month. >> the overall goal is that we can understand a little bit more about substance abuse in the community and have an idea of changes in that substance use in a way that would help us respond early and prevent more overdoses. >> this is video of testing waste water for covid. the plan could give a clearer picture of where the opioid 'kreis -- crisis. they want to implement any concerns into the pilot program. >> it is a new tool. we want to understand, one, how it fits with our existing overdose surveillance data that we have. and, two, an important piece of pit lot for us is speaking to the community of people who use drugs and also those who work in overdose pretension. >> here's one way it could work n hay spike opioids in the water this he could reach out to key groups in the specific community and provide specific harm reduction and overdose prevention messaging. >> we tlik see how this can happen. >> at sewer authority in half moon bay, they're also testing f

so we have partners at health and human services, we work with them every single day at veterans affairs government has to work and do what they can to make sure that we are getting americans what they need at this devastating time. and we also have to understand that this is different than, you know, as much respect as i have for the work that you've been doing for all these years and i am -- i admire it so greatly, i believe that we are in the same situation in some ways but also in very different ways where what we are now seeing is many people are taking drugs that they don't even know they're taking as well. so, this is a catastrophic moment where every part of government has to be doing everything we can to save lives. >> that's the thing. people don't know they're taking it. a new parent, i've got a couple years on this, but you know, my oldest is 3 and the youngest is 1, but that they could be in college and somebody hands them some pill they think is, something -- like a xanax that's a prescription pill and it kills them. it's stunning. >> yeah. that is what we see the cartels d

health and wellness are within reach for all americans. about half the women and men at the department of health and human services i look forward to working with you and thank you for having me today. sven >> mr. secretary thank you. i will start off with respect to the drug fund. the president and democrats are committed to protecting what we have always called medicare guarantee if the voucher guaranteed for high-quality health care and americans have earned this benefit to their paychecks. with this budget the president is focused on making sure billionaires and the wealthy pay their fair share and negotiating authority to lower the price of prescription drugs extend medicare solvency. what we are hearing from the other side is giving a free pass to billionaires. all these budgets work it out so that billionaires are left untouched. now we are seeing the full faith faith and credit of the united states being threatened. what i would like to do is make sure you have a chance to make it clear what the differences are with respect to these issues. the president budget in my view does not cut medicare benefits. taking steps like raising th

and ransomware attack some health care providers and third-party device makers have affected millions of californians alone. there were mandatory breach notifications filed with health and human services and as of yesterday morning, there were different california-based breaches of unsecured protected health information under investigation affecting over 90 million people. that's more than two times the states population. the national scale of the problem is alarming. the disclosure of personal information may be disruptive to the systems used in the health care and public health care settings and could be cast -- catastrophic for many americans that could provide their services for care. i thank you for holding this important hearing. the first question may seem a little a sick and maybe softball but i think it's critical for folks following this hearing in person and online. breaches in the health sect allow for the disclosure of patient health information as well as social security and other personal identifiable information and sensitive information. to be sure the public appreciates why this information is so sensitive for patients and why the health care sector in particular is

. >> haley hannah is an epidemiologist with marine county health and human services describing a program that began last month. >> the overall goal is that we can understand a little bit more about substance abuse in the community and have an idea of changes in that substance use in a way that would help us respond early and prevent more overdoses. >> this is video of testing waste water for covid. the plan could give a clearer picture of where the opioid 'kreis -- crisis. they want to implement any concerns into the pilot program. >> it is a new tool. we want to understand, one, how it fits with our existing overdose surveillance data that we have. and, two, an important piece of pit lot for us is speaking to the community of people who use drugs and also those who work in overdose pretension. >> here's one way it could work n hay spike opioids in the water this he could reach out to key groups in the specific community and provide specific harm reduction and overdose prevention messaging. >> we tlik see how this can happen. >> at sewer authority in half moon bay, they're also testing f

health and human services that gives this contract. they debtor really important thing this week.hey announced a breakup of the national monopoly. when this contract expires this year, it is not going to be like every other contracting cycle where it just goes back to the same failing incumbent. this time, it is going to be competitive. this time the biden administration is inviting top innovators from around the country to help solve the problems of the organ donation system. kristen: that is the biggest part of the biden reform proposal in terms of the structural change. what are some of the other items? i imagine modernizing the i.t., dashboard for transparency, talk to us about what you see that may actually help. >> yeah, modernizing the i.t. will happen when we have a competitive process for new technology contractors. that is a part of what's happening. data dashboards have been released. i'm sure they will be built on. we've had senators from the republican and democratic parties saying that we need to be able to see where organs are lost in the process. that is public and

as a result, the department of health and human services estimates this will make -- co-pays for thoseill be as much as $390 cheaper for seniors. look, it's going to change the way drugs are priced, lower the costs for seniors long-term. and it's equally consequential to me that, as many of you in this room know, we're capping out-of-pocket drug expenses for seniors on medicare at a maximum of $2,000 a year, beginning next year. now, but right now -- [applause] -- right now, we have -- regardless of how much they cumulatively are paying for all of the drugs they need. and now it's capped at -- because i've been -- my family has been deeply involved, as a consequence of cancer and my son dying of stage -- my son dying of stage 3 glioblastoma because he was exposed to those burn pits for a year in iraq. and my -- anyway, you all -- how many here have had you or a family member be diagnosed wh cancer? raise your hand. it's probably, as the docs know, the most devastating word they can tell a patient. you got a serious heart disease, you may die. that's worrisome. more people die of heart

s. department of health and human services. at the moment, we do not have access to these reports or to the data that we're used in the preparation of these reports. now this information that us officials claim to have and have been using to stir up, asking china hostility, which has not been seen by other countries. and it's worth noting that the f b, i said it had only moderate confidence in the conclusion. and on top of that, the department of energy said it had low confidence that there was at this point, the proof that china was responsible for the pandemic. that hasn't stopped us. leaders and officials from drumming up anti join our ability. now, beijing and pushing back and saying that this is the united states, politicizing, a world health issue to the detriment of the global community. now, us media has gone into overdrive pushing anti chinese hysteria in response to the claims from the department of energy and the f. b i. china has responded. here's what us media has said and here is china's response. new report tonig

i don't know about you, but i have seem to recall a recent health and human services secretary being forced to resign over the same exact thing. why is the d.o.t. refusing to tell the american people how much secretary beauty jij -- buttigieg 23 flights on private jets has cost them? maybe the secretary should come to capitol hill and answer these questions for himself t would be a cheap trip and it wouldn't require airfare. either way it's time for him to resign. that will allow him time to promote wokeness and take private jets on his own dime in his own time. thank you, madam speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from illinois, ms. kelly, for five minutes. ms. kelly: i rise today to celebrate the women of the divine nine. the historically black so roarities of the national council. in honor of international women's day i'm proud to honor the organizations that have produced some of our nation's best and brightest leaders. for over 100 years these organization vs. fostered an empowered generations of black women to become leaders in go

health and wellness are within the reach for all americans. i'm half of the women and men of the department health and human services we look forward to working with you and i thank you for adding here today. >> mr. secretary, thank you for all start it off with respect to the trust fund. now, the president and democrats are committed to protecting what we've always called medicare guarantee, medicare is a guarantee. high healthcare and americans have earned this benefit with each paycheck. so with this budget president focus on making sureoc billionaires and the very wealthy pay their fair share. we strengthen medicare renegotiating a 32 lower the price of prescription drugs and extend medicare solvency for 25 years. now, what we're hearing from the other side is giving a free pass to billionaires, all these budgets working out so that billionaires basically are left untouched. and now we are seeing the full faith and credit of the united threatened. so what i would like to do is make sure that you have a chance to make it clear what the differences are with respect to these issues. the president budget, ines my view, does not medicare benefi

manufacturers have to pay the difference back to medicare, as a result the department of health and human servicese this will make co-pays for those drugs will be as much as $390 cheaper for seniors. look, it's going to change the way drugs are priced, lower the cost for seniors long-term. and it's equally as consequence to me as many of you in this room know we're capping out of pocket drugs expenses for seniors a maximum $2,000 a year beginning next year. and right now -- [applause] >> right now, regardless how much they cumulatively are playing -- paying for the drugs they need and now it's capped because my family has been deeply involved as a consequence of cancer and my son dying of stage -- my son dying stage three glioblastoma because he was exposed to the burn pits for a year in iraq and anyway, you all -- how many here have had you or a family member be diagnosed with cancer, raise your hand? it's probably as docs know the most devastating world they can tell a patient. you've got a serious heart disease you may die. that's worrisome more people die of heart disease than they do from can

health funding and delivery system. it became clear for director cruise efforts, the time has come to modernize and restructure south carolina's health care delivery agencies. and the department of mental health and human services and the department of health and environmental control among others. by executive budget includes a 5 million dollar appropriation to the department of administration for the purpose of procuring the professional expertise necessary to analyze and provide the general assembly by june 30, 2024, with a comprehensive plan to restructure these agencies. consolidating in privatizing wherever possible. our booming economy sometimes puts our state agencies as disadvantage. with the private sector. in recruiting and maintaining good employees. our budget provides $78 million for recruitment and retention salary increases for state employees. $2 million for one time 2500 dollar sign on bonus for first-time state government hires. in $2 million to the department of administration, so they can assist smaller state agencies with marketing and advertising efforts to fill those hard to hire positions. i'm also recommending that there be no increase in the employee paid premiums for state health pla

. >> we are part of the department of health and human services and the centers for disease control andhe topic today which is gain of function research. liz: he seems to be putting it down and mocking it, but then touting it. >> honesty and transparency from day one is something we have been lacking with. it's important to ask questions. it's important our senators investigate. what happened? was there gain of function that killed more than a million americans? this is important. as of right now i don't feel that we are ready. that we have the emergency preparedness in place. that's why it's important to understand the origins of covid and what gain of function involved. we may be in the same situation in another pandemic hits and we are completely unprepared and more americans are dying needlessly. liz: there is new legislation from nor rand paul and chip roy. legislation in both chambers to break up dr. fauci's agency, the naiad and turn it into three separate research institutes. they should not have a dictator-in-chief over health they call dr. fauci. the senate bill has multiple s