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Senator tells Finance committee nominees they must prove independence amid criticism of HHS, trade and Treasury picks
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Summary
An unnamed senator opened a Senate Committee on Finance hearing by pressing four administration nominees to demonstrate independence from recent policies he said have harmed programs including Medicaid and Head Start, and by warning that uncertainty in trade and Treasury actions has hurt farmers and public trust.
An unidentified senator opened a Senate Committee on Finance nomination hearing by criticizing four administration nominees and saying Americans could be harmed if the candidates become —rubber stamps— for the current White House.
The senator named Michael Stewart as the nominee to be general counsel at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Gustave Chiarello as nominee to be assistant secretary for financial resources at HHS, Brian Switzer as nominee to be deputy U.S. trade representative covering Asia and key sectors, and Derek Tyre as nominee to be a deputy undersecretary at the Treasury. The senator said the burden of proof is on the nominees to show they will bring a —fresh approach— and independence from political influence.
Why it matters: The HHS general counsel advises the department on whether actions comply with federal law, and the assistant secretary for financial resources oversees HHS's large budget and grant programs. The Treasury nominee would work inside an agency the senator said has been used to target political opponents, and the trade nominee would affect farm and sectoral trade policy.
The senator accused the administration of several actions he said threaten public programs and legal protections, saying, —I'm worried that Americans are gonna get hurt on their watch if they're confirmed.— He cited what he described as cuts or changes affecting Medicaid, cancer research funding and Head Start, and said the administration has shown little interest in upholding EMTALA, the federal law that governs emergency medical treatment.
On HHS legal oversight, the senator said Mr. Stewart —would be squarely responsible for advising the department about these legal questions— and asked whether Stewart would refuse to be —an other piece of cover— for policies the senator described as unlawful. On HHS finances, the senator said Gustave Chiarello's résumé showed limited experience managing the finances of a large organization and questioned whether he had the background to oversee grants and the department's budget.
Turning to trade, the senator criticized the administration's trade approach as —nothing short of disastrous—, faulting its unpredictability on tariffs and calling for —certainty— for farmers. —Give us some certainty. Give us some predictability,— the senator said, arguing that commodity prices and input costs have left farmers exposed.
On Treasury, the senator said the department —has been weaponized nearly every corner of the Treasury' to target his enemies— and that public trust has been eroded. He said Derek Tyre is known to the committee from prior bipartisan work and expressed hope Tyre could help rebuild confidence.
The senator thanked the nominees and said he looked forward to the question-and-answer portion of the hearing. The transcript does not record responses from the nominees in this opening statement.
The hearing continued into nominee questioning.
