Of our native communities. As part of our hearing, microphones will be set on mute. Members and witnesses, you will need to unmute your microphone each time you wish to speak. Documents can be sent to rebecca at the email address weve provided. And all documents will be entered into the record at the conclusion of the hearing. I recognize myself for five minutes for an opening statement. Let me find that, now that ive said that. I believe that todays hearing is long overdue. Day after day, our nations tribal communities are suffering inequality, unequal access to Drinking Water, energy grid, broadband, and other problems that have created unnecessary hardship and turmoil. And covid19 is exacerbating the existing problems now. And the Navajo Nation has seen rates higher than wuhan, china, during the height of the pandemic. And weve heard repeatedly about the struggles of the native communities to protect against covid19. As the pandemic rages on, access to ppe and testing and proper san
The senate live here on cspan2. Next, a look at the challenges of caring for Senior Citizens with caregivers testifying on the lack of affordable longterm care for the elderly. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] would members and their guests please take their seats . Ways and Means Committee will come to order. Good morning and welcome. We are here to discuss a difficult issue that confronts nearly every family in our nation, and that is how to care for our loved ones as they age. It is certainly appropriate that we work to address this matter or in november, which is alzheimers Awareness Month and u. S. National Family Caregivers month. It is a deeply personal issue for many of us in the room, and for those who havent personally struggled to insure an older relative receives the care they need, you most certainly know someone in your life who has. Navigating a fragmented and insufficient longterm care system can be not only confusing and emotionally taxing, but also
Walmart saying its seeing a slight pullback for certain Food Products because of those weight loss drugs. And disneys dismal run. The stock is back below 80 bucks a share, its lowest level since october 2014. Lets begin with a drop in oil prices. Wti on pace for the worst week since march, jim. We got down to 82. 35 this morning. Yesterday, biggest drop since may. The department of energy numbers were weak. Gasoline numbers were weak, the lowest, what, since 1996. When you speak to the chieftains of the Oil Companies, they just want to stand there and buy the shares because they dont think this is the right market. They think the higher price is the right market. I look at whats happened with oil, and i say, if you have retail weakness, if you have fewer people from student loans, fewer people going places, obviously, theres going to be a backup in gasoline, but i think this price is actually real. I understand that the Oil Companies want to buy back stock, but the oil stocks never wen
Nomination of mr. Alex azar to serve as secretary of health and Human Services, one of the most important jobs in any government anywhere in the world. Id like to welcome mr. Azar to the finance committee this morning. I want to thank you for being here and for your willingness to serve in this important capacity. Mr. Azar certainly has his work cut out for him. Health and Human Services is a massive, Sprawling Department that overseas trillions of dollars in spending and liabilities and encompasses all areas of our Nations Health care system. As a result, if confirmed, mr. Azars work will impact the lives of every single american. Now, thats a big job. It requires knowledge, experience, and, most important, strong leadership. Fortunately, our nominee brings all of this to the table having nearly two decades of experience in the health care sector, including about six years working at the highest levels of hhs. During his time at hhs, mr. Azar played key roles in implementing new polic
Here. And for your willi in ingness t serve in this important capacity. Mr. Azar certainly has his work cut out for him. Health and Human Services is a massive, Sprawling Department that oversees trillions of dollars in spending and liabilities and encompasses all areas of our Nations Health care system. As a result, if confirmed, mr. Azars work will impact the lives of every single american. Now, thats a big job. It requires knowledge, experience, and most important, strong leadership. Fortunately, our nominee brings all of this to the table, having nearly two decades of experience in the health care sector, including about six years working at the highest levels of hhs. During his time at hhs, mr. Azar play eed key roles in implementg new policies including Medicare Part d and the Medicare Advantage program. He was also a leader in hhs responses to the anthrax attacks shortly after 9 11, the sars and monkey pox crisis, and hurricane katrina, just to mention a few. If confirmed, mr. A