Will Trump’s Health Secretary Address His Agency’s Elevation of Ideology Over Science During Budget Testimony?
Azar misled Congress about family separation crisis last time he testified over eight months ago
03.12.19 – After refusing numerous requests to testify in front of Congress in recent months, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar is slated to testify at three separate hearings this week to defend Trump’s 2020 budget proposal, which would slash the health department’s budget by 12%.
The last time Azar testified before Congress he boasted that he could find any child in his agency’s care“within seconds” through an online database; but HHS was still unable to locate separated children by the court-ordered family reunification deadline.
“It’s been over eight months since Alex Azar showed his face in front of Congress and the public deserves answers from Trump’s health secretary,” said Mary Alice Carter, Executive Director of Equity Forward.
“For far too long, Azar has let ideology rule the day at HHS, advancing the demands of a small group of anti-abortion ideologues over facts and science. From HHS’ mishandling of the family separation crisis to the agency’s rollback of reproductive rights to his employing an anti-abortion terrorist, it’s past time for Azar to explain his agency’s failure to protect the health of everyone in this country. Add the fact that Trump is proposing to severely cut HHS’ budget and we continue to have more questions than answers when it comes to how Secretary Azar is running our nation’s health department.”
Under Secretary Azar, HHS has let ideology rather than science dictate policy, including:
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sabotaging our nation’s family planning program, most recently with a devastating rule that would gag certain health care providers from even mentioning abortion to their patients;
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considering slashing funding for lifesaving research at the behest of the anti-abortion lobby;
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taking money from critical health care programs to pay for the manufactured child separation crisis; and
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employing an anti-abortion terrorist.
Equity Forward purchased a digital ad buy to run this week around Azar’s testimony to highlight the various ways he’s let ideology dictate policy at HHS.
[Watch on YouTube]
About Equity Forward
Equity Forward is a watchdog project that seeks to ensure transparency and accountability among anti-reproductive health groups and individuals. In addition to running HHSWatch.org, an extensive website with a library of research on nearly 50 political appointees at our nation's health department who are hostile to reproductive health care, Equity Forward also runs PutPeopleBeforePolitics.org, which calls on Secretary Azar not to cut nearly $100 million in lifesaving research at the behest of the anti-abortion lobby.
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