RFK Jr. grilled at House hearing on Black maternal health, past comments about 're-homing' children

[0:00] And I recognize a gentle lady from Pennsylvania, Ms. Lee. [0:04] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [0:05] So this is Black Maternal Health Week, so I'll just start there. [0:09] Secretary Kennedy, I'm sure you're aware that black women are at least three times more likely to die [0:13] from pregnancy-related causes than white women. [0:17] The vast majority of those deaths are preventable. [0:20] Black women in my district are more likely to die during pregnancy than their peers in 97% of U.S. cities. [0:26] Your written testimony mentions maternal and child health four times, [0:30] but from what I've seen, the NIH canceled grants researching black maternal health. [0:36] Your administration's fiscal year 27 budget proposes eliminating Healthy Start, [0:41] which is one of the federal government's primary community-based maternal health programs, [0:45] and you've made it a priority of HHS to end diversity, equity, and inclusion. [0:50] So yes or no, my question for you is if a medical school or a public health school [0:55] educates students about addressing the black maternal mortality crisis, [0:58] would you consider that an illegal DEI? [1:03] No. [1:04] No, you would not? [1:06] No. [1:06] Great. [1:07] I do hope for the medical schools, the universities, and the accreditors, [1:11] your administration has been threatening that they're watching this [1:14] and take this directive to continue teaching about and addressing the black maternal mortality crisis, [1:20] and I expect your agency to restore and expand funding and support for that work. [1:26] Also, yes or no, do you think consuming more protein and avoiding Tylenol will prevent black women [1:31] from dying three times more likely during a pregnancy? [1:35] I doubt it. [1:39] Tylenol doesn't kill you. [1:40] So then why aren't you putting forth serious policies that actually address the health crises [1:47] in this country instead of just these unserious conspiracy theories [1:51] and this wellness influencer mess that we brought up? [1:55] Do you want me to answer that question or are you just talking? [1:57] No, it's a question. [1:59] We are doing more on maternal health than any other administration. [2:03] No, I said black maternal health. [2:05] On maternal health. [2:06] Black maternal health. [2:07] That includes blacks and whites. [2:09] But the thing is, is that they're actually not the same outcomes, [2:12] which means that we need specific and intentional interventions [2:14] for black maternal health and black infant. [2:17] Can I finish? [2:18] Are you going to answer that? [2:21] Yeah. [2:21] We have a, right now, we've implemented a perinatal pilot project [2:29] that we're in 220 hospitals around the country [2:32] and we have reduced maternal health mortalities by 42% of those hospitals [2:38] by providing them protocols. [2:39] Can you please share what the reduction has been for black maternal health? [2:42] Across the board, it's 42%. [2:44] But black maternal health still has worse outcomes than other people. [2:49] I wouldn't know. [2:50] It helps everybody. [2:51] But it isn't. [2:52] Object to that. [2:53] Okay, thank you. [2:53] It is not. [2:54] I do want to just, for the record, state that. [2:57] It does not help everyone. [2:59] Your agency told programs to remove a list of nearly 200 words and phrases [3:02] from their funding applications, including the word black. [3:05] Do you have an idea of how we could solve the black maternal mortality crisis [3:09] if we can't stay black? [3:12] President Trump is trying to end eviction in this country. [3:14] Not so. [3:15] Sorry. [3:15] Not eviction. [3:16] During the last four years. [3:18] That's what DEI did. [3:20] It divided people. [3:20] It polarized people. [3:22] No, no, no, no, no, no. [3:23] We're not talking about eviction. [3:24] We're talking about health care. [3:25] I'm calling about DEI. [3:26] We're talking about health care. [3:28] Yeah. [3:28] Prosperities. [3:29] So what we're asking is if you attack DEI and then we have a crisis that impacts [3:35] one population over another, but you cannot direct specific spending or research [3:41] or interventions to that population, how do you solve the problem? [3:46] Do you think the federal government should be paying for DEI? [3:49] I think the federal government has a vested interest in ensuring that its citizens [3:53] survive childbirth. [3:55] We are meeting that obligation. [3:57] We are not. [3:58] I can explain to you how we are. [4:01] You have not done so, so far. [4:03] But also I would say that, you know, we can improve health care for everybody at the same [4:08] time as helping the people who are most likely to die. [4:11] That's what DEI and I, well, first of all, DEI and I make sure that we have black doctors [4:16] or women doctors. [4:18] We're talking about the fact that we have a mortality rate that is not matched by any [4:24] other country as what we would call developed as ours. [4:27] Really quickly, in yesterday's Ways and Means Committee hearing, you denied saying that [4:30] every black kid is now just a standard put on Adderall, SSRIs, benzos, which are known [4:35] to induce violence, and those kids are going to have a chance to go somewhere else and get [4:38] reparented. [4:38] Why did you deny saying this? [4:41] Why did I deny payment? [4:43] No, why did you deny that you said that every black kid is now just standard put on Adderall, [4:48] SSRIs, benzos, which are known as to induce violence, and that you would rehome them? [4:52] Well, it's largely true that black kids, because it's easier to handle people, and they, a lot [5:01] of the public schools. [5:02] And you're going to rehome them? [5:03] Oh, I never said that we should rehome them. [5:06] We're illegal drugs. [5:07] Oh. [5:08] Gentle lady's time has expired. [5:11] Okay, I just wanted to know if that was him for the record. [5:14] Thank you. [5:15] Thank you, gentle lady. [5:15] I yield back. [5:16] Thank you. [5:16] Thank you. [5:16] Thank you. [5:16] Thank you.