Senate HELP Committee Hears Nominee Jim O'Neil on HHS Priorities, Science and Management

Jim O'Neil, President Trump's nominee to be deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, told the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee that he supports ‘‘science, economics and artificial intelligence’’ to improve health outcomes and pledged to work to make healthcare more affordable if confirmed.

The hearing focused on the nominee's qualifications and priorities, and why senators said the deputy secretary role matters for implementing HHS policy. O'Neil described decades of federal and private-sector experience, including work on HIPAA, Medicare modernization and FDA reforms during prior administrations, and said he would pursue transparency, regulatory review and investments in prevention and research.

Committee members from both parties pressed O'Neil on program cuts, an operating plan they said left funding lines blank, specific programs such as Head Start and orphaned functions for women's health, and public-health crises including measles, fentanyl and long-term disease trends. O'Neil repeatedly pledged, if confirmed, to provide Congress prompt and accurate information and to review regulations and offices to ensure mission-critical functions continue.

O'Neil told the panel he ‘‘strongly support[s] the principle of medical privacy’’ and that HIPAA should be periodically reviewed to address risks posed by artificial intelligence and new data sources. He said he supports the CDC vaccine schedule, would work to ensure first responders have access to naloxone, and backed a safety review of mifepristone by the Food and Drug Administration.

The hearing included remarks introducing the nominee by Governor Tommy G. Thompson and opening statements from committee leadership. Senators emphasized oversight responsibilities and demanded clear answers on pending reorganizations at HHS.