Labor, HHS, Education

"I am very concerned about the increase in reported illnesses related to e-cigarettes and other vaping products, and now up to 26 deaths confirmed, including in my home state of New York. Additionally, the dramatic increase in use of these products among youth – which in fact represents an epidemic – is alarming. One in four kids is using e-cigarettes, and now a new generation of Americans is hooked on nicotine."

"While the CDC has routinely warned of the health risks of youth vaping starting back in 2013, the FDA has appeared to have ignored these warning. It has taken no meaningful action to regulate e-cigarette products. The result of which is that we now have a public health crisis."

"Earlier in the year, the Trump Administration submitted a budget that would cut the NIH by almost $5 billion. It’s crystal clear - President Trump has no regard for the National Institutes of Health and the cutting-edge work you do to save lives, advance cures, and improve the health of Americans. Despite the President’s heartless efforts to gut the NIH, we have responded resoundingly. Unlike him, my colleagues and I prioritize the health of all Americans, and we are on track to invest billions more than the President would for our world-class National Institutes of Health."

"Today’s hearing is an opportunity for the subcommittee members to hear more and to hear from directors of an additional five Institutes and Centers, who may not always get the same platform that they need and deserve. It is also a chance to demonstrate the need for the Congress to continue to invest in basic research. In recent years, we have directed an increasingly large share of NIH’s budget to specific initiatives. While I strongly support those initiatives, it often means that basic research at smaller Institutes and Centers get shortchanged. So, it is important for this subcommittee to understand the type of research opportunities we might be missing by directing such a large share of additional funding to a limited number of Institutes."

"The fact that we are here again is a clear example of how damaging and cruel the Trump Administration’s actions have been on the mental health of vulnerable children. This could have been largely avoided – children belong with their families."

"That is why the Office of Inspector General’s new report was so alarming. It confirms our worst fears: that intentional policy choices by this administration created what I would call a mental health crisis with children, which the OIG said that HHS and ORR—the Office of Refugee Resettlement—failed to address. It is a crisis of deliberate, government-sanctioned child abuse."

"Ensuring that children receive the proper care includes meeting physical needs like clothing, bathing, nutrition, health screenings, and education. It also means that we treat vulnerable children and families fleeing war and violence with decency, dignity, and respect. Upholding these responsibilities is a tall order, especially with the Trump Administration."