Duplicitous and on august date this is designed to hurt this president for the reasons which i am not interested in. Same email the cdc director homicide read and agree how they wrote it and to ensure it is fair and balanced and complete. These emails show clear political interference with the cdc efforts to carry out the science based mission. Mr. Secretary will you renounce this political interference and commit this will not happen again . As i said i support the base and challenging each other i do not support the statements doctor alexander is no longer employed at this department. I would like to get into Personnel Matters that is appropriate to let me be clear about that second quotation i do not know of any circumstance of anyone that would have authority and then to that knowledge she never had that authority i would not have supported that. When the statements came out i wrote you a letter asking these people appear before the select subcommittee. Not a single one was made available to appear before the subcommittee. I hope that you would agree to allow these witnesses to come forward next week i will be glad to come appear word you do that quick. Our staff is working to secure the agreements on the procedures to make that happen and with the final arrangements on that. That is a yes. And to protect individual some of these are career cdc officials mr. Caputo is on medical leave with a serious medical condition doctor alexander and never one doesnt work with the government we are working to get to agreement to how this can be facilitated. If my memory serves to recommend to participate and we would be pleased to have a virtual testimony from them if they would agree to appear if they come back that is because of you and me but we can do that virtually. Okay . I think they are in the final stages of getting everything arranged. I yield back i made it within 30 seconds. I appreciate the second round. Thank you for continuing to answer these questions. Talking about the vaccine and other therapies. You talk about hydroxychloroquine and i talked to internist doctors who are using it effectively a doctor knows what is best for the patient hopefully we can make as many options available so they can continue to help treat patients do you see an increase in the ability to treat those who work over positive compared to the movements ago . Advances to give people and help them recover is nothing short of revolutionary. In april an individual 70 or above would have a 30 percent chance of dying today it is five. 7 percent thanks to the president s efforts to get steroids for lung injury and getting things approved and convalescent plasma even how to use ventilators better and when to use them and forced oxygen and quality of care. My department played a vital role to educate providers across the country to enhance knowledge among providers. We passed some of the money to give the department the ability to respond even more effectively need to come up with and produce vaccine as these companies are in the final stages of testing. We are now waiting for one to be approved as part of operation warp speed but if it clears to the final stage they will start producing it than that is months later we actually make those now. If not approved than those go in the trashcan but then is that part of President Trumps plan we are doing that are how that has always been done quick. It is historic and unprecedented advancing the development with safety and advocacy millions of doses of vaccine making the industrial scale across six manufacturers right now something no drug company has ever been able to do without the support of the Us Government that his creation warp speed. Has it been created paying known to mankind . Never i worked very hard on the ebola vaccine with the democratic republic of the congo and thanks to america we had a vaccine with those antibodies but those took years. This is another story that is an old but if the vaccine is not one week later and then its the president s fault literally on the verge of full vaccines with millions of files already massproduced with the defense production act asking about new york this is very concerning you can see people planting seeds of doubt which would be deadly if they did it new york said they were not allow citizens to have access to a vaccine through another approval process have you seen their approval process and how many months how many people are denied if the governor gets his way. I am unbelievably distressed about the remarks of the governor to undermine the confidence not just for covid those getting mmr new york is a hotbed of the anti vaccine movement. Does new york even have a testing process. They dont. How many drugs with the be denied if governor will gets his way god help us . It is a ludicrous statement you said you agree with that but jumping to china and fortunately this isnt an area that i was in some of those meetings and the white house when we knew nothing about the virus officials wanted to medicine our officials wanted to go in with the Chinese Communist party stopping us and collected the who. It delayed by a month and a half getting into china after that on january 6. You know much we could have saved quick. And what we would have learned we learned a lot of information how to care for patients that was a month and a half delay. I yield back white house officialsdownplag schools. Secretary, we evolved instruction the cdc to issue guidance. Underwear and a certain cdc to issue that. They have a guidance there is a collaborative interagency process print is there wouldve been i assume under president obama with the ebola response. Write one and one print is quite normal in the white house correlated guidance would be there. Can you believe in and is your opinion evidence not for political advisers to write Public Health got its brightest when i believe its perfectly appropriate for all individuals that confident expertise to contribute whether politically appointed are career officials doctor redfield is politically appointed he runs a cdc. Is a final signoff. Sue. Political advices such as jerry kushner. Sec. Alex azar im not aware of mr. Christmas involvement. But i dont know that im aware of that but is perfectly normal for there to be all guidance is required to go through the white house process that is president ial executive order significant guidance as to go through the white house review. And he sees there i dont know but at the end of this, i want to be very clear about this bring the cdc, director must agree with this or and does not go out. Any changes of any suggestions for now back them up on that. The cdc reports that over 40 percent of all of these cases between the ages of five and 17 are latinos. Incident true there is evidence that Young Children can contract the virus. Sec. Alex azar oh yes. Children can transmit the virus. Thank you. And you agree that the transmission of covid19 is higher in poorly ventilated or enclosed areas. Sec. Alex azar congresswoman. That issue, just be careful to, on a deferred to the experts at cdc in terms of that i believe that to be the case. But i will not want to refer you to cdc guidance on that rather than speculating on that front. Are you aware that a recent report found that 36000 schools nationwide made ventilation upgrades. Sec. Alex azar i think in congress is statute that you i think 13 billion of funding for schools. I do believe there are issues and ventilation systems a canopy good upgrades to version erin keep going. Also keep adequate humidity levels which can be important. I understand. Do think it is right, we need to give peace of mind to the parents in this country that is safe to send kids especially in lowincome communities in the schools and the infrastructure is old. That has not been upgraded. Do you think it is right to say, we should fully reopen the schools. Sec. Alex azar we do believe we can reopen fully is a question. There are steps you can take, the hoarding cans and creating social distance. Moving teachers from classroom to classroom. Delivering meals for the kids free to social distance of the classrooms, and of course Face Covering wearing. And also, at all points, the individual making decisions for the right in the parents of the guardian to decide what is right for the kids. Im a vulnerabilities they are the household member separated and is finally be in the privacy. And you think that we have enough money nationwide to be able to upgrade of the schools. Sec. Alex azar i have not looked at that issue and funding. What you should prayed. Sec. Alex azar while the 13 billion in the form in is not been fully adequate in the school district. Okay. He has not been fully acquainted but my question to you is given the report and a thousand schools nationwide and needed ventilation upgrades. My question to you as you are the secretary of health. You are the one saying that resumption should be in week get our kids back to school. So you feel confident that having 36000 schools nationwide in need of ventilation upgrades that the money is there that is been allocated is appropriate. Sec. Alex azar there are several assumptions in their and your multiple questions. The key point is the presumption is, should be back in a physical environment. Having there, doctor redfield made it clear that the instruction of the childrens physical and emotional development, can be done safely. But we always have to look at the individual circumstances to make sure it is safe in any particular school or situation an adequate plan to make that happen. The fact of the matter is that there are 36000 according to the gao report and native upgrades. And that therefore, make such a statement has lets send the kids back to school. Does not provide the peace of mind up to the parents of this country. Their reports indicate that the white house pushed for the guidelines to be changed to recommend the people without covid19 symptoms abstain. From the testing. But there kids with the covid19 are a symptom medic. So what testing guidelines are you recommending for schools especially knowing the significant of covid19 is having the impact on the children of color. Sec. Alex azar so we recommend the testing of asymptomatic close contact. So in the disease tracking situation, this when we work to get something out, hundred million of those tests that we asked the governors to prioritize for the k12 kids to do contact tracing. As well as to assist with surveillance. In addition to close contact, we want to ensure that we have adequate Surveillance Systems to identify if we are seeing emerging cases. Thank you madam chair. Secretary alex azar i live in a very rural area. Very big chunk of my area is very rural. Throughout this in them, lot of Healthcare Services have been done by till help. To me this is extremely important going into the future that we allow this to continue to happen. Another since rules and regulations that are probably been waived or changed to be able to accommodate. It would like to give you a few minutes to talk about some of the rules and regulations, problems and things that we can implement. Suggestions for congress and how we can make this a Better Service between Healthcare Professionals and constituents and customers of this country. For the betterment of their healthcare. Would you like to comment for a few minutes. Sec. Alex azar thanks to the National Emergency powers of the president. We been able to for the First Time Ever really unleash the power of telehealth. We brought healthcare into the 31st century for the first time. When you want to visit hospitals and doctors and Community Health centers as i have done. You see this in a Truly Patient centric change in health care. Is bringing in overall healthcare costs down and craning. Ive been to centers there delivering the underserved. And having to drive through testing and sample taking. Vaccinations etc. So theyre combining them. Plus assumptions with the telehealth would be and it cost to the Healthcare Systems but worsening actually improve quality and increases cost. We need congress to act on this because we cannot enshrine in relation everything that weve been able to do. We can do much more Rural America under statue. We cannot do that in irvine. In addition in the rule, you have to under the statute, shot and a doctors office. Cannot do it from home for you have to have a preexisting relationship with a doctor or hospital before. We waived all of these things thanks to President Trump part of the emergency powers. And congress will have to act to make this lets abilities permit. So hope that congress lacked. Nothing you can walk this backwards nor should you. I appreciate that. Thank what we really need to do as we wind down from this thing at some point. We need to get together and figure out the rules and regulations and what it will take to implement this on a National Basis tonight grimaces to be able to be couple to the improvement of health forces. So i think you for that. I saw this week, think it was wednesday september 30th. I think the wall street journal here. Theres article with regards to the medications that are coming up with. It looks like there will underway to perhaps by the end of the year have this drug, rg in covid19 to that could be helpful to produce and a minus prayed you be willing to talk about that today. I realize were not there yet but this really sounds good party to note the article in the paper says Public Awareness of it. To let people know that besides the vaccines or therapeutics that the pipelines and can be beneficial as well and are being tested and worked on as we speak. Sec. Alex azar i actually think you saw that, the seven initial phase one. This ranging in the Clinical Trials. These are called on a monoclonal antibodies. Remember we had convalescent plasma. Which is the plaza from a survivor patient. Have antibodies in your body. We can actually synthetically make those antibodies at ranges that can be 1000 times more potent than what we can get of an individuals plasma rated and synthetically produced in mass quantities. The thinkings hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars this is in a very short order. We have manufacturers in a country such as several that have significant antibody programs. Rethink very promising indebtedness been made public. We could be literally any weeks to mother to her white from having data to support emergency authorizations if the data proves that they are safe as well as effective. Stomach you mentioned a couple of times, the emergency authorizations. I think dr. Fauci made a comment on this before. You like to explain what that actually is. Sec. Alex azar especially with the vaccine. Winnowing think about therapeutics, we one from fathers eyes the vaccine for therapeutics for emergency in a limited data set prayed for a vaccine because somebody is healthy and putting a. The fda is requiring a 30000 person Clinical Trials present 15000 placebo and 15000 active. And then asserting significant results. That is the same for emergency for full on licensure of the vaccine. The only real changes that happen within emergency use you have ongoing safety Data Collection through a Massive National pharmaceutical program. And you would have ongoing three validation locks needed for inspection in the manufacturing facility. But the actual data package other than that, term safety. That is the same. Dr. Fauci made the comment that the emergency authorizations probably necessary whenever using the data so overwhelming that it will be unethical and immoral to withhold those vaccines of this drug from people because he could be saving lives while youre sitting there to. Your eyes and tease cost. Sec. Alex azar especially with a safety for ec well. An easy clear trends of efficacys. It becomes an ethical question permission to allow people to try that. I get it and at times up and i yelled back. Thank you. Thank you very much and i know youll myself five minutes for questioning. Mr. Secretary. I was reviewing comments made at a labor Day Press Conference where he gave this production. He said one vaccine would be available very soon. We could have very big surprise coming up. You will be very happy. People will be happy. The world will be happy. Everybodys going to be happy. And you know what im talking about before the very special date. Then we have companies that involved the Development Like manure net. Is that there be ready to seek emergency use authorizations from fda before november 25th at the earliest. Now we have the president of the United States making these rosy predictions. Any of contradictions and those who are responsible for the development. We think that does to the credibility and the credibility of fda. Sec. Alex azar i think that president is trying to be hopeful. But i would be very clear. This will be determined by data. An independent processes. So for instance. We dont even seek data on these Clinical Trial programs until an independent data safety monitoring board determines that the data in Clinical Trials has achieved prespecified statistical endpoints. Reclaiming my time. Do you think, you just described the president s rosy predictions as being helpful. As a difference you know. Between being helpful misleading the people. Do you think it is helpful to you when the president is out making these kinds of predictions. Sec. Alex azar the results will be driven by data. If a company produces data. That is independence. In the beginning of october. That determines the vaccine is safe and effective and submitted to fda and the career scientist thrust or process determines its safe and effective. Reclaiming my time trying to do believe modern what is said, would not be right to seek emergency use authorizations from fda before the latter part of november. Sec. Alex azar quote what manure was saying is that is based on god is that they received. Whenever its based on brain to do believe them. Sec. Alex azar any of the context for in the gardens was they have 60 days from the median patient completion in the Clinical Trial. That would calculate out to the member 20th. Let me just try and frame this russian a little bit differently. Do believe that there is a contradiction between this helpfulness that you described that i described as a prediction. And what modernity is saying and others are saying about the readiness of one of vaccine will be ready. Sec. Alex azar no because the mentor and advisor both believe that we may see data in october. See its data driven and event driven. Nobody controls and we see data and when we get results seven you think what you call hopeful nest by the president , is helpful and builds confidence when the American People see that what is predicting has no credibility and it is contradicting by those who are responsible. Sec. Alex azar your incorrect. With the president has been saying in terms of inspiring help is within the range of possibilities vaccine development. No no no no no. Excludes me trout, he does say is a possibility. This is more than what you had described as help. This is the president of the United States of america. The leader of the greatest nation in the world. And should be in addition to a role model which of course the question print we should be able to rely on what he says. We should be able to have confidence that he is giving us good information, correct information and as you know, no matter how you try to frame it. And the president of the United States has not been the kind of role model that could create confidence in your agencies. When he himself etc. Etc. I know that you said, you will not reveal whether or not you have any confrontations with the president for about whether or not he is holding mass rallies were people are not safely distanced. Or wearing a mask. What have you. Who be very helpful to know that at least you have the strength and the ability to talk with the president s of the United States and speak the truth about what he is doing what he is now snowing. I am absolutely absolutely surprised at the lack of strength of any of people in this administration. But for you rated and with the responsibility that you have, i would expect the human stand up to the president anytime that day and say mr. President , please. You can be helpful. If you would support wearing a mask everywhere you go. It was a National Plan. This that everybody must wear masks. The body must be socially distance. Not going to have a rally. Where people are jammed an impact in. Why cant you say that to the president. Sec. Alex azar im not going to discuss my conversations with you with the present but i would ask, youre very influential member. If you could please inspire vaccine confidence. It is critical. It is critical for that. Excuse me, im reclaiming my time. And another thing that im not answering your questions. We are going to tell me to inspire confidence. You cannot tell me whether or not you tell the president to do that. Sec. Alex azar ive been very clear the inventive processes for vaccine approval. If you would let me state. I actually could have walked you through the foreign dependent steps on vaccine data and approval in consideration that would give people confidence any vaccine would be safe and effective. And i will take and my family will take it. Since were indicated. Thank you very much reclaiming my time. I would ask you to think about it. I ask you to think about it before you go to bed at night. When you get up and you look at yourself in the mirror. I want you to think about whether or not you have the strength and the ability to say to the president. We should and should not be doing and i think, he should respect your advice and the advice of the experts. With that, i wheeled to the next five minutes. The select subcommittee put out a memo this morning which i identify in this report at least 47 incidents in which political officials have intermarried in the nations pandemic response. Your department recently awarded to contracts to Public Relations to launch a coronavirus as Advertising Campaign that is according to the contract, to defeat despair and inspire hope. Exactly what congresswoman was speaking about. Mr. Secretary, the reason so any people feel despairing i was because more than 207,000 people dead. In this Administration Response to this crisis has been worse than almost any other country rated it wouldve been much more effective if President Trump and listen to the experts, actually believed in science. Where come up with real plan for today to combat this crisis. Instead this administration is spending more of a cordova billion dollars in tax air fund is to make videos with city officials and celebrities in a massive ads right before the election. In in order to find these videos, hhs diverted 265 million from cdc and fda even as both agencies are finding this pandemic. This campaign was spearheaded by assistant secretary public affairs. And he said these contracts were not demanded of me by the president of the United States personally. Mr. Secretary, etc. Sec. Alex azar someone provide an update on this because it takes there is like the Public Health communications efforts. First, ive ordered a Strategic Review. Reclaiming my time mr. Sec. On hearing response in an update on it. But i also want to know, is that true. Have you spoken to anyone about that and campaign. Sec. Alex azar im literally going to answer question. Was your idea this idea was that. Sec. Alex azar of order a Strategic Review that will be led by our top Public Health and communication expert to determine whether the campaign serves an Important Health services. I also taken steps to ensure any product coming out of this campaign will be reviewed and approved by career Public Health officials including from the cdc. There are three key elements to this primarily happened in the Surgeon General on ads to encourage people to practice the 3ws. To donate convalescent plasma and encourage minority groups enrollment and vaccine Clinical Trials. Nicely will be to inspire flu vaccine as we entered in the flu season in the third phase would be around the covid19 vaccinations if we are fortunate enough to have them for vaccine. But i will ensure that is something our Public Health official support. Part of this oversight is secure prince of this contract. Im incredibly interested in the greatest one of them was awarded to accompany alice Research Brain according to press reports this week, someone we dont know who, recommended that alice uses subcontractor of ddt. Which just happens to be run by a business partner. According to this report, ddt has zero Public Health experience. Has been overwhelmed by the project. So mr. Secretary, you great that is highly inappropriate for any political appointee to push for their own, lucrative government contracts when they have zero experience in the area that the contract covers. Any people in your department appear to have serious concerns with these actions. Politico, one official since this. This is a boondoggle. Were the middle of the pandemic rated we could use that cordova billion dollars on buying ppe. Not promoting psas with celebrities. Do you agree with that statement. Sue and floyd disagree firmly with your last statement. The fdas real caffeine about the dangerous tobacco cost 250 million. Affordable cares act outraged cost 290 million. This is important Public Health messaging around the Getty Community mitigation steps around flu vaccinations and covid19 vaccinations. This was approved by Technical Evaluation and less. Were going to review it. Reclaiming my time, reclaiming my time the secretary has operated i agree. There are reasons that we should be reaching out to the public and is that you expressed on the flow. In the vaccines and other items in the 3w sprayed there and very important things. But this was not. This was about feeling good. About being positive. It has nothing to do with help. [inaudible conversations]. A lot of troubling questions about it. [inaudible conversations]. Your time has expired. I would like to present more questions and i would like to yield back. I know youll do the next person for five minutes. Thank you madam chair. If china shared the virus sick with earlier secretary alex azar with your would fewer americans died sec. Alex azar yes. Would fewer immigrants died and if china did not for the ppe, would fewer americans have died. Sec. Alex azar absolutely. If china didnt correct the World Health Organization with your markets have died. Yes. If china would not allowed american scientists in a country with fewer americans died. Sec. Alex azar practice. Thank you and i yelled back. Yelled five minutes to mr. Foster. Thank you manager. The last questions that you just got. If they have plenty. , my wife is grand. She looked at the contrast between that and they got hit hard or an earlier. And we got hit. They have had by contrast negligible number of events. So all the last questions that you just answered apply equally were sec alex azar i would be glad to discuss the difference in een u. S. And south korea detail if you would like. The largest factor is they who listen to the scientists and policies that follow. Clarification. Last month the f. D. A. Guidancener issued new settling the can criteria for emergency use of coronavirus vaccine. I applaud that and transparency but unfortunately president and healled it political said quote that has to be approved by the white house. Approve it. Y not what is the signature chain on this document . Commissioner . A. Do you have final approval or have final sident say . Sec alex azar you played a mistake you made a mistake in statement. Several months ago f. D. A. Issued went e guidance and that through the full process before coming out of f. D. A. The 30,000 in Clinical Trials. Stating. Sent alerts what they would final say on the specifications of the final h. H. S. The president or career people . Sec alex azar this is what the putissioner is proposing to out is guidelines that would be consistent with letters sent to and doing thatrs publicly. White house o. M. B. So your answer is president final stay and he is correct when he said that has white approved by the house . Sec alex azar i think it is a mountain out of a molehill f. D. A. Told the manufacturers what they are going to look for. Did you see the debate. Sec alex azar part of it. I would like to send a chamberlain and they are pfizer and ne of the participants in that which was sent to his u. S. Colleagues. Would like to read the first paragraph of that letter. Tuesday night i was joined by of ined the millions americans who tuned into the president ial debate once more i was disappointed with the of deadly disease was discussed in political terms rather than scientific facts. Who are understandably confused dont know home or what to believe. Global health has too much at stake and the public trust and cceptance of a vaccine is so important im writing to explain the principles we are using at pfizer. On to explain es why pfizer refused to saccept from operationce warp speed. Accept a Production Contract but not the oversight the se he didnt want disturbance in confidence in his product that would result in that. Say i will enter that into the record. Another thing i would like to the time line that you talk about in your testimony here. As you tphknow, if you exceed i go k warp factor then you back in time which allows you to rewrite lift with which seems to part of what you are trying to accomplish here. Many of the milestones that you have occurred before operation warp speed was the result of as scientists, of careers professionals at h. H. S. Rather than anything out of the warp house and operation speed. If you click on the thaeufrpt link in your testimony you are led to a press rick e and discussion by bright who is the very scientist whistle ct pulled the blower complaint over politic interference. So giving credit to the President Trump is i think a little bit problematic here. I would like to enter into the three reports on the cuts proposeddget year after year. As soon as trump entered office 22 budget cut to n. I. H. And other h. H. S. He then double digit budget cuts President Trump knew that the coronavirus was, had on how deadly it was in february of 2020 he n. I. H. Ed a 7 cut to the how do you give credit to resident trump for any of this the achievements of scientists when he proposed cuts to their year after year after year . Sec alex azar President Trump s the one who actually has backed this historic effort. It pains me that you denigrate warped speed. These are career people from the defense part from h. H. S. And n. I. H. Driving this. Correct. It is the white House Oversight credit to. No i yield back. Time has expired. Tell me if you agree with his statement when younger healthier people get infected that is good because that is the ay population immunity develops. Sec alex azar i dont want nyone to get infected, congressman. So you disagree with that . Ec alex azar im not a physician or epidemiologist. Im going to tell you my mission keep people from getting infected with coronavirus. From e quote complements scott atlas a top member of the task force who has been promote be herd immunity to have affect the president on september 15 the coronavirus is going to without a vaccine because people will develop a mentality which is a dien flip but freddie freudian flip. Here is Paul Alexander who works wrote having the virus spread among the young and one of the methods to drive herd immunity. Not he says the riginal, not the intended strategy but all must be on deck now. Contributing positively at some electrical. O you agree with what your employee Paul Alexander wrote to about herd to immunity being a positive factor the ur plan for combatting disease. Sec alex azar dr. Alexander, you may have missed there does h. H. S. Any more . Did you fire him for that statement . Sec alex azar i wont discuss matters but he doesnt work in the u. S. Government at this point. Why you need to be elusive about it. This is a dangerous concept. Herd immunity if this is gaining traction within the white house will cost hundreds of thousands if not millions of american lives because the you let the disease wash over the population and you or 70 immunity belowe studies show it is 10 . So 90 dont have it so we would millions fect tens of more to create this herd immunity. Can break ng if you through the leader mentality of circles ing of the top of the white house to oppose forcefully . Y sec alex azar herd immunity is not the strategy with regard to coronavirus. Get there as others may get leader slowing of transmission as we have seen the new york and other concentrated areas. Reduce ission is to fatalities and keep it disease . Bout beat the sec alex azar that is what i was saying we would be doing. Been triedmunity has in sweden and failed. He death toll it there is 10 times the neighbor finland and it doesnt work. It is killing people. That is a policy of mass human sacrifice and i hope as other eople pop up through the administration arguing for herd the ity and idea that spread you as the secretary of forceful voice combatting that sinister view. Us any further jump dates on the president s helmet today whether anyone else tested or has symptoms of the virus and what precautions are contact en through tracing to get in touch with the last interacted several days. Sec alex azar im sorry but i have been preparing and sitting so im not i have another question 24e7b. Theres been a lot of talk about always baffled we up olleagues bring it because he praised them on 37 i had nt occasions and submitted them and distributed them to my colleagues and i had can do it again if you think i submit it again. I would love nothing more than to have a hearing about the residents complicity with covering up chinas early lies about the disease and for the understand cant why my colleagues bring it up nd i hope it is not contributing to bias in the country. I know you dont want to talk bout your specific conversations with the specifies but have you in writing or conversation or meetings ever the president to stop raising the chinese tkphaoupbist party for its performance on covid19. Records of him doing that in february, march, april. Did you ever tell him to stop . Wont talk r i about what i said with the but what feels president was doing with china you have carrot and stick. Get rying to did at the play him for a sucker . Is that why we are in this . We have viral sequencing. I had to my time isup. Back. D you are recognize the for five minutes. Thank you for coming. I want to pick up where we left off before. What i thought i understood you that we will see what happens with the Supreme Court and then based off of that there be sort of an effort to create a plan to replace the a. C. A. In the Supreme Court strikes it down. Is that what you were saying . There are many different scenarios. We are going to protect people conditions. Ting the president will not sign any legislation that doesnt do that. Ut there are many ways to protect people with preexisting conditions and also ways to set mechanisms. E it sounded like when i asked replace in a plan to regard to whether the supreme forward it sounds like you are saying theres not right now, that is correct . A range azar we have and it will depend on the composition because dealing with pelosi is different than what one could pass for obama care. Two weeks ago i heard a kwhreup that struck a clip he president talking and said we are going to be doing a Health Care Plan very strongly. Already and it is a much better plan for you. Trying to get a sense of that because it sounds like it contradicts what you are saying. Has a sident saying he plan ready to go. You are saying we are not there yet. To the is something we are through. Can you explain that . Sec alex azar i think you are plan. He pwrez are using he rolled out the Health Care Plan for 331. About the small part of obama care and hypothetical end Supreme Court or a large all part. He is focused on delivering 331er care lower choice for million americans not just those trapped or excluded from obama care. Referringmber you are to the executive order on the preexisting condition. Sec alex azar the broader is we brought transparency and price and quality for the First Time Ever prices. Drug i have signed the first ertificationor importation of drugs under the president s i. T. To and we have shop and not be locked into one system. Disease ckling kidney for the First Time Since president nixon and ending the epidemic. We are tackling the most and ctable problems improving health. That is the president s plan. I get concerned when i hear that the American Enterprise institute we they were taking a at the executive order on preexisting conditions all it is, is a statement he wants one or more of his departments to come up with a doesnt give guidance or vaguest outline of what the plan should be. From here but i feel like this is an enormously dangerous situation where we millions of americans who pandemic hcare in the and millions more that and the bestill is i hear is we will see what happens. Reslurring to people in my reassuring to people in district. There was talk about vaccine approvals but one i think i want distribution of the vaccine. I saw from the factory to the and some of cument the different efforts but one thing that was concerning to me that 64 saying different c. D. C. Jurisdictions them to come back to you with their plan different states and territories. Saying that the basis of that candidates we dont have a singular strategy but 64 different strategies. The testingnot just debacle all over again . It is working with partnership with the states the wheel have a centralized system and rely on the vaccine for childrens out c. D. C. And we have Cold Chain Storage set up through that and hey will partner with cardinal and others to reach to our pharmacies a Community Health vaccination ctual programs and we need the states to be partnered with us because the vaccine slug locally should go locally. So say we are dealing with Nursing Homes and Vulnerable People the states will tell us administer that and use the contract. Or public eaid health department. That is helpful and i want sure we Work Together on this. Last thing, as you said, you the Ranking Member you are a j. D. , not a doctor and you aid we are going to be ground in science and evidence and career scientists for the the vaccine. I want to see the confidence in the American People on vaccines and Work Together. That you will not play a role in the approval, that you are not going to input or recommendations to the f. D. A. Commissioner . Want to hear sec alex azar when we talk about theres all this talk bout political quote interference. E harness the best minds scientific, data, i have im the secretary. Experience. Years of i was one of the architect the in he pandemic flu planning the Bush Administration that helped create our novel pandemic flu and capacity in the United States. We have many people who bring a lot of expertise and knowledge the table. Those people can participate and contribute and they can ensure good can decisions are made. At the end of the day it will be f. D. A. Career scientist peter marks that will decide if is safe andecide it effective. That is all i wanted to hear. I think we have concluded this second round of questions. Im prepared to yield to the closing ember for any comments he may want to make. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Secretary azar for coming and having two rounds of questions where we can really try to get some of the facts about where we are and what is the response to covid, what is happening with the conomic and hopefully educational recovery of this country. To of the things we wanted do is get out as many facts as possible and again there has plan that started early off in this pandemic and and change as ow we learn more about the disease and learn more about things that need to do and we in order to give guidance to states to reopen different parts of their economy. But we put there report together to give everybody that guide map those who deny that theres a plan or want to ignore theres a plan. The internet on and you can see it. Tens of thousands of pages but it ave a summary to make easier for some who are having trouble understanding the plan. Plan are sics of the number one china lied and caused a global pandemic. Talked he secretary about some of the challenges as china was withholding not just from us but the world. Hat cost, chinas lies cost tens of thousands of lives. This committee ought to look that. President trump responded immediately first decision that very scientist that testified before there Committee Said the right decision was to ban flights from china. Trumps decision saved american lives. There were some who criticized hat decision who claim there would have been no deaths if their plan had been in place but been more have deaths if they got their way. Didnt and they President Trump took that action hat dr. Fauci on down that you conclude was not only the right decision but saved thousands of american lives. Made tough science based decisions that did save hundreds not just ds of lives, get banned, continuing to guidance on how as you have talked about to take care of Nursing Homes. 45 governors followed those guidelines, five didnt. And 25,000 minimum seniors died that shouldnt have died in states and they continue to hide the facts from the families of those who died and pressing. Ep if everyone doesnt join us those that want those answers will keep pressing. Number four, President Trump is developing a safe effective working through all the f. D. A. Protocols which are the old standard and it is happening faster than ever befo before. Hese are the four American Companies teams that are partnered up in some cases to f. D. A. The final stage of approval and if they get through as have to meet the rigors the secretary testified of the Gold Standard of the world. Do, the Trump Administration through operation manufacturing the vials of that now and not while it is being tested thousands and if it is it will be available the next day. Anyone who undermines Public Confidence in that vaccine and be costing american lives and any governor who tries constituents that vaccine would be costing lives. And crude would that be for a governor to say they are not going to let the an zens of their state have f. D. A. Approved drug to save lives . I dont think that is legal. We will continue to press on and i new President Trump and i es to press on appreciate the work of the 0,000 men and women in your Agency Working on that. Of are delivering billions p. P. E. China hoarded and most of it was there. We need to make it here now. We need to push to make more of p. P. E. Here in america so we dont have to rely on china hoard. Ey lie and but we are doing that. Billions are being sent out hrough the president s initiative and building the largest testing system in the world. People and ng more more capability and nursing the are getting tests, testing be capabilities continue to go forward and president prioritized the elderly while some of those governors to put their seniors at risk. This president has taken save americann to lives. We wish there were no lives lost. This is a global pandemic. Every country is experiencing loss of lives. You look at this list. On this top 10 if throws five governors those governors would have complied. Decline and russia are not on this because they wont share their data. Ld they might be at the top but we eed to work to save american lives. I thank you for the work you are doing and President Trump for the work he is doing for the people to get our economy open as we defeat this virus. Back. Hat i yield thank you very much. Closing, without objections i would like to a roduce into the Record Research letter published by the of the american medical ssociation entitled mortality admissions and, not when theyre politically convenient. And that constant stream of disinformation coming from the white house. To control this virus we also need the administration finally in place a coordinated National Strategy to respond to the pandemic. A strategy i have been calling for since the subcommittees very first briefing in may. The plan must include a strategy to increase testing and chronic shortages. And also other supplies and will effectively and efficiently and equitably target the test that we have. The federal government must also use resources to procure and distribute masks. Metro there see and will be helpful the white house would send in the back to the plan and send a mask to everybody and i would be pleased with the president to have the president s signature on it. Metro to see that. And hes now requiring that his name be a letter signed by him being another one of those boxes from the sample letter signed by him. In a box with a mask going into every home. That to me, will be contributing to the preservation of life. The National Plan to me must include clear and persistent Public Health measures across all 50 states. Including uniform use of masks in public places. In strict limits on large gatherings especially in areas that have higher rates of transmissions. Mr. Sec. , it is too late to say that 207,000 americans who have already died from this virus let alone. Solicitous Work Together. To make sure we dont lose another 207,000 lives. All members will have five days in which to submit additional questions for the witness to the chair read this will be forwarded to the witness the response. I ask all witnesses to please respond as promptly as possible. And without that, the hearing is adjourned. [silence]. Stand by. Please stand by. [silence]. Every day we take your calls live on the news of the day and policy issues that impact you coming up monday orning we will preview the new. Upreme court term and a discussion about the 25th of dment and continuity government with Michigan State niversity law professor brian gault. Watch washington journal live at 7 00 eastern monday morning. To join the discussion with your phone calls, facebook and
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