WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, delivered remarks during today’s hearing on the nomination of James O’Neill to serve as Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services.
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Cassidy’s speech as prepared for delivery can be found below:
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions will please come to order.
Thank you, Mr. O’Neill, for being here, and for your willingness to serve our country.
The nation faces enormous health threats, including rising health care costs, a mental health and substance use disorder crisis, a breakdown in public trust in health care institutions, too high levels of chronic disease, and a preventable measles outbreak that has taken 3 lives and hospitalized many others. I will note, that from 2000-2024, the United States saw a total of three measles deaths. Now, we’ve had three deaths in just over four months of the measles outbreak. This should trouble us all.
The American people want solutions that make their lives easier. They want results, not excuses.
President Trump, working with Secretary Kennedy, has laid out a bold vision to make health care more affordable and to Make America Healthy Again. To do this, he needs officials with the expertise and vision to carry out his agenda, while also increasing transparency, restoring trust, and ensuring that science, not politics, drives decision-making. That is why this nomination is so important.
If confirmed as Deputy HHS Secretary, Mr. O’Neill will be responsible for implementing the President’s agenda at HHS under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership. He will help steer a ship going through massive changes.
The Deputy Secretary needs to be someone whom Americans can trust to make science-based decisions to strengthen HHS and make America healthier.
I look forward to hearing your plans and vision to accomplish this.
Thank you again for coming before this committee and being willing to serve. I look forward to discussing how we can fulfill the vision of making America healthy again.
With that, I recognize Senator Sanders for his opening statement.
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