Rep. Henry A. Waxman Holds a Hearing On the F.Y. 2011 Budget for the Department of Health and Human Services

Political Transcript Wire › February 10, 2010

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Rep. Henry A. Waxman Holds a Hearing On the F.Y. 2011 Budget for the Department of Health and Human Services

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE HOLDS A HEARING ON THE F.Y. 2011 BUDGET FOR DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

FEBRUARY 4, 2010

SPEAKERS: REP. HENRY A. WAXMAN, D-CALIF. CHAIRMAN REP. JOHN D. DINGELL, D-MICH. CHAIR EMERITUS REP. EDWARD J. MARKEY, D-MASS. REP. RICK BOUCHER, D-VA. REP. FRANK PALLONE JR., D-N.J. REP. BART GORDON, D-TENN. REP. BOBBY L. RUSH, D-ILL. REP. ANNA G. ESHOO, D-CALIF. REP. BART STUPAK, D-MICH. REP. ELIOT L. ENGEL, D-N.Y. REP. GENE GREEN, D-TEXAS REP. DIANA DEGETTE, D-COLO. REP. LOIS CAPPS, D-CALIF. REP. MIKE DOYLE, D-PA. REP. JANE HARMAN, D-CALIF. REP. JAN SCHAKOWSKY, D-ILL. REP. CHARLIE GONZALEZ, D-TEXAS REP. JAY INSLEE, D-WASH. REP. TAMMY BALDWIN, D-WIS. REP. MIKE ROSS, D-ARK. REP. ANTHONY WEINER, D-N.Y. REP. JIM MATHESON, D-UTAH REP. G.K. BUTTERFIELD, D-N.C. REP. CHARLIE MELANCON, D-LA. REP. JOHN BARROW, D-GA. REP. BARON P. HILL, D-IND. REP. DORIS MATSUI, D-CALIF. DEL. DONNA M.C. CHRISTENSEN, D-VIRGIN IS. REP. KATHY CASTOR, D-FLA. REP. JOHN SARBANES, D-MD. REP. CHRISTOPHER S. MURPHY, D-CONN. REP. ZACK SPACE, D-OHIO REP. JERRY MCNERNEY, D-CALIF. REP. BETTY SUTTON, D-OHIO REP. BRUCE BRALEY, D-IOWA REP. PETER WELCH, D-VT.

REP. JOE L. BARTON, R-TEXAS RANKING MEMBER REP. RALPH M. HALL, R-TEXAS REP. FRED UPTON, R-MICH. REP. CLIFF STEARNS, R-FLA. REP. NATHAN DEAL, R-GA. REP. EDWARD WHITFIELD, R-KY. REP. JOHN SHIMKUS, R-ILL. REP. JOHN SHADEGG, R-ARIZ. REP. ROY BLUNT, R-MO. REP. STEVE BUYER, R-IND. REP. GEORGE RADANOVICH, R-CALIF. REP. JOE PITTS, R-PA. REP. MARY BONO MACK, R-CALIF. REP. GREG WALDEN, R-ORE. REP. LEE TERRY, R-NEB. REP. MIKE ROGERS, R-MICH. REP. SUE MYRICK, R-N.C. REP. JOHN SULLIVAN, R-OKLA. REP. TIM MURPHY, R-PA. REP. MICHAEL C. BURGESS, R-TEXAS REP. MARSHA BLACKBURN, R-TENN. REP. PHIL GINGREY, R-GA. REP. STEVE SCALISE, R-LA.

WITNESSES: SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES KATHLEEN SEBELIUS

[*] WAXMAN: The meeting of the committee will come to order.

This afternoon -- this afternoon, we will hear from the distinguished Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

She will testify on the health proposals in the president's fiscal year 2011 budget, for which her department has responsibility. This responsibility is daunting.

The department she leads has a budget of over $900 billion in fiscal year 2011. The programs that her department administers will directly affect the nation's public health and will ensure access to needed health care by over 100 million Americans enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid and the Child Health Insurance Program.

As President Obama reminded us on Monday, our nation is at war, and our economy has lost 7 million jobs over the last two years.

The deficit that greeted this administration stood at $1.3 trillion.

Our successful efforts over the past year to rescue the economy and the financial system from collapse have unavoidably added to that deficit.

We clearly need to solve the deficit problem, but we can't do it overnight. And the president's budget wisely does not try to do so.

The budget strikes a careful balance, helping unemployed families by creating jobs and protecting them against the loss of health insurance, investing in next-generation health care technologies and taking steps to reduce the deficit, while protecting the most important investments.

In the health area, the president's budget recognizes that certain investments are essential while the economic recovery is still underway.

The budget supports the enactment of health reform, which will provide affordable coverage for over 30 million uninsured Americans, while reducing the unsustainable rate of increase in health care costs.

The budget recognizes the need to protect the ability of America's seniors to see their doctors by repairing Medicare's physician payment system.

The budget provides additional help to states that are struggling to maintain their Medicaid programs in the face of increased demand and reduced revenues.

The budget increases funding for co...

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