Democrats Call for Investments in HHS Programs to Support Nation’s Families
WASHINGTON – Today the Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing entitled, “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”. The hearing focused on funding for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to continue to expand critical investments that protect the health and wellbeing of hardworking American families, and invest in our nation – from childhood into advanced age.
“From the Ebola outbreak to Zika to the Flint crisis, the Department of Health and Human Services has been at the forefront of responding and keeping Americans safe and healthy,” said Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA). “I commend Secretary Burwell and her Department on their efforts to respond to some of the most troubling health crises of our time. I also commend the Secretary for her work to ensure that the budget reflects the priorities of this Committee – protecting access to healthcare for all Americans, giving all children a chance to succeed, and making sure that we meet the needs of families and children affected by public health situations when they occur.”
The Honorable Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), testified before the Committee to discuss health care, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Head Start and HHS efforts to respond to the assistance Flint crisis.
“The Department has made historic strides towards ensuring that all Americans have access to the building blocks of healthy and productive lives—a priority that I know we [all] share,” said Secretary Burwell in her written testimony. “Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, we have helped millions of Americans find quality, affordable insurance, and slowed the growth in health care costs for families and taxpayers. In coordination with our partners across the federal government, we have led efforts to protect the public health in our work responding to the lead crisis in Flint, Michigan and implementing essential strategies to prevent, detect, and respond to the spread of Zika. Through all these efforts, we have worked to ensure the responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars by taking steps to further strengthen program integrity, saving money for the taxpayer and making sure our programs deliver in the best possible way for those we serve.”
The President’s FY 2017 Budget requests $82.8 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Health and Human Services. This includes investments in critical priorities – early learning opportunities, child care for low-income families, and a variety of programs intended to break the cycle of poverty and provide families with supportive services in times of need.
House Democrats commended Secretary Burwell and HHS for their bold response to the health challenges facing Americans – from the Flint water crisis to the Zika virus. They also focused on the need to build on the progress of the Affordable Care Act. For the first time in our nation’s history, more than 90 percent of Americans have health coverage. Rather than wasting time with meaningless votes to repeal the law, Democrats called on their colleagues to join them in focusing on ways improve the health care law.
The written testimony of the Honorable Sylvia Mathews Burwell can be found here.
###
Next Article Previous Article