Watch: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. interrupted by protesters during Senate hearing opening statement

And thank you, Senator Sanders. I just want to begin by saying I know how determined President Trump is for us to have the lowest drug prices in the world, as between Europe and the United States. And I also know that he doesn't care how we get there. That's where he wants Americans to be. And he said, I don't know how many times since, I've been involved with him about that. We shouldn't be able to go to London and buy GLP for $88 that in this country costs us $1,300. And I know it's something that you've been talking about for many years. I look forward to working with you on legislation or any way that we can to get there. Thank you, Chairman Cassidy and Senator Sanders. I'm honored to be before you today to present the Department of Health and Human Services fiscal year 2026 budget debilitating disease, contaminated food, toxic environments, addiction and mental illness affect Americans across every race, class and political belief. When my team and I took the helm at HHS, we set out with clear goals. First, we aim to make America healthy again with a special focus on the chronic disease epidemic. Second, we committed to delivering more efficient, responsive and effective service to over 100 million Americans who rely on Medicare, Medicaid and other programs. Third, we focus on achieving these goals by cutting costs for taxpayers and tend to do more, a lot more with less. The budget I'm presenting today supports these goals. The witness will suspend. The committee will come to order. Capital Police are asked to remove the individuals. Members of the audience. Disruptions will not be tolerated. Members of the audience are reminded disruptions will not be permitted while the committee conducts its business. Capital Police are asked to remove the individuals from the hearing room. That was a made for C-SPAN moment. The secretary will resume. Let's let's get the doors closed and the ruckus is totally clear. Got it. OK. And we thank the Capitol Police for working with due diligence. Thank you very much. Mr. Secretary, please resume. The budget I'm giving the secretary. We reset the clock. Whatever it would be. OK, please. The budget I'm presenting today supports those calls and reflects to enduring American values, compassion and responsibility. I invite the committee to unite around these ideals with me. The United States remains the sickest developed nation in the world, and we spend four point five trillion dollars annually on health care, two to three times more per capita than comparable nations. Clearly, something is structurally and systemically wrong with this system. Furthermore, health care costs are steadily increasing at a rate of two percent greater than the economy. If we don't staunch this unsustainable hemorrhage, we will ransom our children to bankruptcy, servitude and disastrous health consequences. Yes, an exploding debt is a social determinant of health. We won't solve this problem by throwing more money at it. We must spend smarter. We will shift funding away from bureaucracy and toward direct impact. Some things at HHS will not change. We will preserve legacy programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Head Start as the foundation of the MAHA agenda. Vulnerable populations, seniors and veterans deserve consistent access to care and I will ensure that they receive it. Today, 83 million Americans, urban and rural, lack adequate access to primary care physicians. We will prioritize these families, especially Native American and Alaskan communities. We will protect IHS funding, streamline its operations and give the tribes more autonomy in managing their resources. Let me be clear, we intend to make the Trump HHS not just the most effective, but also the most compassionate in U.S. history. Our official budget statement outlines many priorities, but I want to highlight a few. First, we will consolidate programs to better tackle mental health and addiction. These issues now rival chronic disease and their impact. HHS will aggressively combat the opioid crisis, especially the spread of synthetic drugs like fentanyl. We will empower state, local and tribal leaders to create effective solutions. Second, we will address nutrition, physical activity and healthy lifestyles. The President's budget requests $94 billion in discretionary funds to support these priorities, including the Administration for a Healthy America. We will emphasize healthy eating and Head Start and ensure the program continues to serve its 750,000 children and parents effectively. Third, we will equip the FDA to expand its food safety efforts through research, regulation, inspection and education to remove harmful chemicals from food and packaging. Fourth, we will find cutting-edge research at NIH while cutting risky or non-essential studies. That includes ending gain-of-function experiments and research based upon radical, gentler ideologies. At the CDC, we will return to core missions tracking disease, investigating outbreaks and sustaining public health infrastructure while cutting waste. Fifth, we will eliminate DEI funding and redirect resources toward real poverty reduction. We will move beyond lip service to communities of color and take meaningful action to meet their needs. Sixth, we will strengthen cybersecurity and health IT. The AI revolution has arrived and we are already using new technology to manage health data more efficiently and securely. Finally, we will rebuild public trust, a trust that eroded through years of industry capture, corruption, waste and misplaced priorities. We will launch a new era of transparency and public service, creating an honest, science-driven HHS that answers to the President, to Congress and to the American people. I look forward to working with Congress to pursue this mission together as a bipartisan cause. Let's work side-by-side to make America healthy again. Thank you.