***WATCH SENATOR MURRAY’S FULL OPENING REMARKS AND QUESTIONING***
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS), led a hearing with Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra on President Biden’s annual budget request.
During the hearing, Senator Murray pressed Secretary Becerra on the Administration’s plans to protect women’s health and the right to abortion in light of new reports that the Supreme Court plans to end the constitutional right to abortion and overturn Roe v. Wade. She also made clear that given the unprecedented attack on abortion rights, it is more urgent than ever to protect and strengthen the Title X program to provide communities with birth control and other reproductive health care–and she urged Secretary Becerra to outline how the Administration’s request would help ensure those with the tightest budgets can get the family planning services they need.
“Secretary Becerra, I’m glad to have you before the Committee to provide answers to the questions that the American people have—especially given the deeply alarming reporting that the Supreme Court is planning to end the constitutional right to abortion in this country, and overturn Roe v. Wade. If this is true, it will be devastating to people across the country … I have been warning for years that this is Republicans’ goal, and I am going to keep fighting back with all I have to protect every woman’s right to an abortion. But people across the country are worried. They need to see leadership from the Biden Administration on this too. So I hope to hear more from you today about the Administration’s plan to respond to this latest attack, and protect women’s health because make no mistake: women’s lives are on the line,” said Senator Murray.
“Secretary Becerra, when Texas passed its highly restrictive abortion ban, President Biden promised a ‘whole of government’ response and in a statement yesterday he said the Administration will be ready when any ruling is issued. What can you tell us about the Administration’s plan for a ‘whole of government’ response to defend the right to abortion so far?” pushed Senator Murray later in questions.
“Mr. Secretary, I’ve fought hard to protect the Title X program, and I heard from Washington state patients and providers recently about what this program means in their life. … It’s unthinkable to me anyone wouldn’t support this program but as we are being reminded every day, Mr. Secretary, reproductive health care is under attack from every angle by extreme Republicans—and we need to be doing everything we can to protect it. So I want to hear more from you about what we can do to continue strengthening this program, and to do everything we can to support other programs that also protect women’s health,” continued Senator Murray.
Senator Murray also pressed Secretary Becerra on the administration’s plans to address the opioid crisis that’s ravaging communities in Washington state and across the country. Since 2019, overdose deaths in Washington state have increased by two-thirds, and the crisis has grown worse nationwide—with the rise fueled by fentanyl, in particular. Senator Murray is currently working to pass a bipartisan legislative package to reauthorize, improve, and expand federal mental health and substance use disorder programs.
“Our communities are being hammered by the opioid crisis—just last year, more than 105,000 Americans died from a drug overdose. And in Washington State, synthetic opioid use is up drastically,” said Senator Murray. “Parents across my state want to know—what is the Biden Administration doing to protect kids, prevent young people from seeking out illicit drugs, and make lifesaving overdose reversal drugs more available?”
At Wednesday’s hearing, Senator Murray also continued to highlight the urgent need to pass emergency COVID funding to ensure communities across the country have the tests, treatments, and vaccines they need, and urged Secretary Becerra to outline how HHS will help get children under five vaccinated against COVID-19 once a vaccine is authorized for that age group. Senator Murray also asked the Secretary how the President’s budget would help address the mental health crisis.
Senator Murray’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below:
“Secretary Becerra, I’m glad to have you before the Committee to provide answers to the questions that the American people have—especially given the deeply alarming reporting that the Supreme Court is planning to end the constitutional right to abortion in this country, and overturn Roe v. Wade.
“If this is true, it will be devastating to people across the country.
“This is a five-alarm fire.
“I have been warning for years that this is Republicans’ goal, and I am going to keep fighting back with all I have to protect every woman’s right to an abortion.
“But people across the country are worried.
“They need to see leadership from the Biden Administration on this too.
“So I hope to hear more from you today about the Administration’s plan to respond to this latest attack, and protect women’s health because make no mistake: women’s lives are on the line.
“And, later this week, you’ll be hearing from my constituents firsthand during your visit to Washington state.
“And Mr. Secretary they’re not just worried about this craven attack on abortion, they’re worried about other challenges they’re facing too because the past two years—to say nothing of the past two days—have put such a strain on families, communities, and our entire health care system.
“People are depending on the Biden Administration for support, for resources, and for real solutions—and I am pushing to make sure they get them.
“After all the hard-won progress we’ve made in the fight against COVID-19, families in Washington state are depending on us to pass urgently needed emergency COVID funding for tests, treatments, and vaccines to protect communities across the country.
“But keeping up the fight against COVID is just the start—we must learn from this pandemic and strengthen our public health system to make sure we’re better prepared with more resources for CDC like this budget proposes, with sustained annual investments for local health departments, like my Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act would provide, and with steps like my bipartisan PREVENT Pandemics Act.
“Because we know all too well things like modern data systems, a robust public health workforce, and access to tests, vaccines, clear information, and more can make all the difference when it comes to saving lives during a public health crisis.
“But Secretary Becerra, the past two years have also shone a harsh spotlight on other health care challenges our communities are facing, like the mental health crisis, which the pandemic has made even more devastating—especially for our kids.
“Over the last two years, we’ve seen a sharp rise in youth mental health emergencies. I’ve heard from so many parents back home whose kids are just not okay, and over 200,000 kids have had their world shattered by the heartbreaking loss of a parent or caregiver.
“And we are already stretched thin when it comes to providing communities the support they need to address these crises.
“In Washington state, our mental health workforce is only able to meet 17 percent of our state’s needs—we have to do better.
“This budget has crucial support for school-based mental health care and training which can help reach students in need, mental health support during early childhood—which is such an important time for kids, community health centers, which help families across the country get connected to mental health services, and increased resources for the 988 suicide prevention and crisis lifeline.
“I’ll be digging in here during questioning and during your visit to Washington state later this week because I want to know the Administration is doing everything it possibly can to address the mental health crisis.
“And Secretary Becerra—I also want to hear more from you about how the Administration is working to address our nation’s substance use disorder crisis, which has gotten so much worse during this pandemic and has grown even more deadly due to fentanyl.
“I hear about the tragic consequences of this crisis every single day.
“Overdose deaths in Washington state have increased by two-thirds since 2019.
“And nationally, we recently passed the tragic milestone of over 100,000 overdose deaths in one year.
“Our communities are doing what they can—but Mr. Secretary, we desperately need reinforcements.
“The significant increase in this budget for prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts is absolutely necessary.
“But it’s going to take more to get this done.
“That’s why I’m working with my Senate colleagues on bipartisan legislation.
“But I want to hear more from you about your plan to address this crisis.
“When it comes to women’s health—I was relieved to see this budget includes significant resources for the Title X family planning program, which helps women get the birth control they need to plan a family on their own terms, life-saving breast and pelvic exams that detect cancer early, and so much more.
“Mr. Secretary, I’ve fought hard to protect the Title X program, and I heard from Washington state patients and providers recently about what this program means in their life.
“They told me first-hand how it makes all the difference to people with the tightest budgets, who might not have access to this basic, life-saving health care without Title X.
“It’s unthinkable to me anyone wouldn’t support this program but as we are being reminded every day, Mr. Secretary, reproductive health care is under attack from every angle by extreme Republicans—and we need to be doing everything we can to protect it.
“So I want to hear more from you about what we can do to continue strengthening this program, and to do everything we can to support other programs that also protect women’s health.
“That’s why I was pleased to see this budget also increases resources to help lower our nation’s unacceptably high maternal mortality rate.
“And like so many other issues, we know our maternal death rate has been particularly devastating for Black and Native American women—which is why the investments in this budget to advance equity and reduce health disparities are vital—especially the significant proposed increase to CDC’s work in this space.
“This budget also calls for additional support in the fight against HIV/AIDS to increase access to lifesaving treatment, reduce new cases, and continue our progress toward ending this epidemic in our country.
“Finally, I want to make crystal clear how important it is we invest in child care and early education programs and bring down costs for parents.
“This pandemic has made clear to everyone what I’ve been saying for years: quality, affordable child care isn’t optional, it’s essential—for parents, for kids, for businesses, for our economy—for everyone.
“When it comes down to it, parents not being able to work because they can’t find child care is never just a problem for them—it’s one more position a small business can’t fill, and it’s one less link in our supply chain moving things along.
“That’s why this must be a top priority—to help get parents back to work, and to lower costs that are such a massive strain on parents’ budgets right now.
“Mr. Secretary—I know this budget includes a boost in child care resources—which I was glad to see.
“But let me be clear—right now millions of families across the country are struggling to find or afford child care, providers are struggling to keep their doors open, and child care workers can’t make ends meet and are leaving their jobs to find better pay.
“We have to go bigger to solve the problem here.
“That’s why I’m fighting so hard to make a truly historic investment in child care that would bring down costs for families, and bring up wages for workers, all fully paid for by simply asking those at the very top to pay their fair share.
“And I’m going to keep pushing to make sure we get that done through reconciliation because at the end of day, as happy as I am to see these boosts for child care in the budget—which I’ve fought to get year after year as well—it’s clear to me that we can’t just tinker at the edges here. We need bold solutions, and that’s what I’ll keep pushing to deliver.
“Just as I’m going to keep pushing for more progress on all of the issues we are discussing today.
“I like to say that a budget is a statement of values, and I’m pleased to say this budget does make it crystal clear that the Administration’s values are in the right place.
“But families back home need us to do more than state our values—they need us to live up to them. They need us to act on them with steps that take stress off their shoulders, put money back in their pockets, and actually solve the problems they are facing.
“And I look forward to working with you and President Biden to make sure that happens. Thank you.”
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