WASHINGTON – At today’s Senate Finance Committee Hearing, senior member and former chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) pressed Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra about the agency’s failure to protect unaccompanied migrant children, as well as its inadequate attention to rural health care programs. Details follow.
Grassley last month contacted 15 HHS contractors and grantees who have received billions in taxpayer dollars to assist with the care and placement of UACs. Grassley is asking what these contractors are doing to keep children safe, as many may have been placed in dangerous situations. HHS instructed all UAC care providers to direct Grassley’s inquiry to HHS for a response, instead of answering the congressional inquiry themselves. Grassley pushed Becerra to own up to this obstruction and forced the agency’s commitment to permit contractors to respond independently.
“Americans have every opportunity and right to respond directly to you,” Becerra responded. “You are absolutely within your rights, and [the contractors] are as well, to be in communication.”
Becerra claims HHS communicates appropriately with law enforcement to assist vulnerable UACs
Grassley raised concerns with HHS’s limited information-sharing with law enforcement. This, in turn, prevents law enforcement from following up on potential cases of child trafficking, abuse or criminal conduct by sponsors or UACs. Rather than directly answering the question, Becerra claimed the agency works with law enforcement, but acts to protect individuals’ privacy rights. The Secretary failed to explain why providing confidential information to law enforcement trying to track down kids would be problematic. Grassley has raised numerous concerns regarding HHS’s failure to keep unaccompanied migrant children safe.
“In some cases, we’re dealing with very private, sensitive, confidential information, and so we make sure we follow the rules so we don’t violate any individual's privacy, at the same time that we’re fulfilling our obligations to respond to law enforcement,” Becerra said.
Grassley asserts HHS should use every tool in its toolbox to help rural hospitals.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is using just 25 of 30 statutory spots in its Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program. Grassley raised the issue with Becerra last year, after Iowa hospitals expressed interest in participating. At Grassley’s request, CMS spoke with those Iowa facilities. Grassley this morning urged Becerra for answers because “that’s where progress stalled.” The senator recited excuses CMS gave for neglecting to fill the open spots.
“If CMS has the tools to help one rural hospital and isn’t, you should do something about it,” Grassley said. “Why doesn’t your department want to help five rural hospitals through this program? It’s budget neutral and Congress has reauthorized it three times since 2003.”
Becerra committed to following up with Grassley and vaguely referenced other HHS rural hospital initiatives. One such initiative – which Becerra did not name – is the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) Program that Grassley championed. Learn more about Grassley’s leadership on rural health care issues HERE.
-30-