Please come to order. ,odays hearing is on alex azar the nominee to serve as secretary of the department of health and Human Services. The committee will vote on the nomination. Senator murray and i will each have an Opening Statement and then the former secretary and governor of you call who we younge today, and senator who is a member of this committee, will introduce mr. Azar. Senators will each have five minutes of questions. We have a lot going on today in the senate but we already have a good turnout, so i anticipate a good, vigorous questioning. Hes confirmed to lead the department of health and Human Services, you will run a 1. 1 trillion organization, that almost signals the total of 12 Appropriations Bills that Congress Passes each year to find everything from National Parks to National Defense to national laboratories. You will be overseeing medicare and medicaid. Our nations government run Insurance Programs for the poor and elderly, Mental Health and substance abuse, or yo
This in the committee will please come to order. Cesars hearing is on alex alex azar. While the Health Committee holds a courtesy hearing on the nomination, the finance committee receives the paperwork and will vote on the nomination. Senator murray and i will each of the Opening Statement and then former secretary and former governor of utah who we welcome today. Good to have you back. Senator young who is a member of this committee will introduce mr. Azar after his testimony, signatures will each have five minutes of questions. We have a lot going on in the senate but we have a good turnout so i anticipate a good, vigorous questioning. Lead,ar confirmed to youll the leading a 1. 11 trillion organization that equals the total of the 12 Appropriations Bills that Congress Passes each year to Fund Everything from National Parks to laboratories. Youll be overseeing medicare and medicaid. Our nations government run Insurance Programs for the poor and elderly, Mental Health and substance ab
Vote on the nomination. Senator murray and i will each have an Opening Statement and then former secretary and former governor Michael Leavitt who we welcome today good to see you and have you back and senator young, a member of this committee will introduce mr. Azar. After his testimony, each will have five minutes of questions. I anticipate a good, vigorous questioning time. Azar, you will be running a 1. 1 trillion organization. That almost equals the total of the 12 appropriation Bills Congress passes each year to find everything from National Parks to National Defense to national laboratories. You would be overseeing medicare and medicaid, our nations Insurance Programs for the poor and elderly. Mental health and substance abuse, where you will have to address the europe your crisis other issues. The National Institutes of health where with Francis Collins excellent leadership the United States is leading efforts to develop a cure for new treatmentd for cancer. The fda, where Scot
Distinction. Well, it was certainly a purpose that went into the majority district but it was not the predominant motive. I understand that. Dont you have to use race to comply with section 5 . Thats right. Is there any way to comply with section 5 without using race . There is not. But you dont have to use race in this way, mr. Brasher. Nobody would say that section 5 required you to maintain a 78 district and a 78 district was no longer needed with respect to a groups ability to elect a candidate of choice. I respectfully disagree with that. Once again, we followed the same preclearance strategy that georgia followed in 2005. Congress made a record in 2006 to try to reauthorize section 5. Georgias plan from 2005 which kept all their majority black districts all the same was a good thing. We did the same thing in this redistricting cycle that other states did, we did the same thing that the plaintiffs did when they were in charge of the legislature in 2001. Theres been some inconsiste
For that reason. Well, it was certainly thats a very fine distinction. Well, it was certainly a purpose that went into the majority district but it was not the predominant motive. I understand that. Dont you have to use race to comply with section 5 . Thats right. Is there any way to comply with section 5 without using race . There is not. But you dont have to use race in this way, mr. Brasher. Nobody would say that section 5 required you to maintain a 78 district and a 78 district was no longer needed with respect to a groups ability to elect a candidate of choice. I respectfully disagree with that. Once again, we followed the same preclearance strategy that georgia followed in 2005. Congress made a record in 2006 to try to reauthorize section 5. Georgias plan from 2005 which kept all their majority black districts all the same was a good thing. We did the same thing in this redistricting cycle that other states did, we did the same thing that the plaintiffs did when they were in char