U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, addressed a hearing with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The discussion focused on the proposed HHS budget for fiscal year 2026. This event marks a significant occasion as it is the first time in two decades that an HHS Secretary has testified on a presidential budget before the HELP Committee.
Senator Cassidy began by acknowledging Secretary Kennedy's presence at the committee meeting. He stated that President Trump is committed to reforming federal government operations to make healthcare more affordable and improve public health.
Cassidy highlighted several issues with the current system, including bureaucratic inefficiencies and regulatory obstacles within HHS that hinder service delivery. He emphasized the need for reforms to expedite drug approvals, enhance healthcare services delivery, address chronic diseases, and reduce healthcare costs for American workers.
He noted his encouragement at HHS's efforts to tackle these challenges and reiterated the significance of this hearing as it is unprecedented in recent history for an HHS Secretary to discuss their department’s budget with the HELP Committee.
The senator expressed concerns about potential changes under the proposed budget affecting essential offices and programs responsible for implementing bipartisan laws supported by President Trump. These include initiatives like increased access to naloxone through the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act of 2018.
Cassidy agreed with Secretary Kennedy on the necessity of reform within HHS and stressed that any changes should maintain statutory duties while promoting transparency, accountability, program efficiency, and reducing wasteful spending.
He concluded by urging Secretary Kennedy to provide clarity on how HHS will maintain its critical functions amid proposed changes. This clarity would enable Congress to support shared priorities in future legislation while gaining public trust.
The session proceeded with Senator Sanders making his opening statement following Cassidy's remarks.
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