For joining us. I will start off with a little bit of history. Topic one, drug prices. In july of 2020, donald trump said since the day i took office, i have made reducing drug prices one of my highest priorities. For four straight years, donald trump complained about high drug prices, did lots of finger pointing at others about the problem and repeatedly talked about how he was the best friend of seniors best friend seniors who depend on medicare could have. What was actually accomplished over the last four years . Exactly nothing. Asked forward to the Biden Administration. From the time fastforward to the Biden Administration. From the time joe biden took office, he made it clear he was committed to lowering drug costs and Health Care Prices for families. I remember him having a conversation with me shortly after the election. He said the finance committee is a place where things happen. And everybody has been talking about doing something about drug prices forever. Now is the time to get something done. And to actually help seniors. Not just talk about it, because there has been plenty of talk. But actually get results and provide real pocketbook relief to seniors and consumers. Two years later, President Biden and many colleagues who are on this side of the aisle, worked very hard to get results. To lower prices on medicine and President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. For the first time under the law, democrats and President Biden gave medicare the authority to negotiate better drug prices. Understand what that means. It means that seniors beat big pharma. Big pharmas holy grail, what they cared about more than anything, is prohibiting negotiation for a better deal on medicine. Look at what they are doing right now. Going to court, trying to stop any negotiation. But we have it written in the law that there is going to be negotiation. On top of it, most americans have access to free vaccines. Insolent costs for seniors were capped at 35 a month. As we said, when the government leads on these issues, particularly the showpiece of American Health care, medicare, almost always the private sector copies it. We have seen Real Progress in the private sector as well. We want every buddy in america to get that pricing relief but we are making Real Progress. We also created price gouging penalties for the first time to hold big pharma accountable for high drug costs. Those are benefiting patients and taxpayers. Plenty more to do. It is essential that finally, after all of this debate, we get pharmacy benefit manager or Pharmacy Benefit Management reforms across the finish line and congress can finish this crucial change thats going to help all of these wonderful people in their white coats because they are here to keep the small pharmacies going in the lower drug costs for patients and protect Community Pharmacies. Thats the difference, folks. On the first issue of drug prices. Donald trump, President Biden. Topic two. Health insurance. In march of 2019, donald trump said the Republican Party will become the party of health care. The Number One Health care goal, stated again and again, the number one goal, repeal the Affordable Care act. Get rid of the whole thing. On that one, he failed, fortunately, as well. Under President Bidens leadership, democrats boosted tax credits for Health Insurance, saving millions of americans an average of 800 per year for coverage and access to care. When you look at President Bidens budget, what you see is a clear focus which is to build on the progress the biden has made. With all of these Health Care Changes in mind, the next question is what do donald trump and the republicans have planned when they talk about health care . The American People are wondering, because not once during the aca repeal and replace crusades, not once did we see an actual replacement. Seven years after the efforts to repeal the aca crashed and burned, nothing has changed. Donald trump still says lets get rid of it. He still lacks a plan to take care of all of the people whose Health Care Coverage is doing that his doing that would actually rip away. Hes talked about gutting americans Social Security and health care benefits. No plan to keep seniors out of poverty and illness, either. Thats the difference between Senate Democrats and what President Biden is talking about and what donald trump and republicans are talking about. Republicans plan to shred the health care today that millions rely on and pretend everything is going to be fine. So, on these issues, i think it is clear that there is a gap between President Biden, Senate Democrats and donald trump, with respect to health care. The gap between those trump promises and biden action on health care, the difference on the actual records between the two is as deep as crater like. Democrats made promises to be American People and we got results and delivered. Im going to wrap up by saying there is another issue today that is pending that is very important for kids and health care. That is to get our bipartisan tax deal with congressman jason smith passed in the senate. It helps 16 million kids and immediately let 400,000 kids out of poverty. Youll have to take my word for this. Here is what the president of the American Academy of pediatrics had to say about this. In case anybody is interested, hes from oregon. Dr. Ben hoffman. Hes a doctor at oregons very own Oregon Health and science center. He has said there is an inexplicable link between poverty and inextricable link between poverty and child health. An inextricable link between poverty and child health. What we are trying to do that got 350 seven votes in the house of representatives, is help those 16 million kids be healthier. 400,000 of them would get out of poverty right away. So, we want everybody to know this morning that we are all in in terms of getting it done. We want to pass that bill for the child tax credits and their company and their research before the april 15 filing deadline. So, hearing from the American Academy of pediatrics, as we wrap up this discussion, as far as i am concerned, its as good as it gets. We will have good input from secretary becerra about how President Biden will continue to lower costs. First, we will hear from senator crapo. There is one thing that you and i agree on. We have to control drug prices. You already referenced it. You see a number of folks in the audience in white coats. Those are pharmacists. We met on the grass side in front of the capital today with hundreds and hundreds of them, to talk about one of the most important things we can do, which we need to do right now. Which is to get the pdm legislation, which passed this committee, 260, on the books. So that we can start one of the most significant things that can be done to help control drug prices. I want to focus on that. We have our disagreements on what we consider to be a Price Control Program and the impact of it. But we have places where we have agreement. Im hopeful we can make progress on that right away. Back to my formal remarks. Thank you mr. Chairman and thank you, secretary becerra, for being here today. Over the course of the past year, the finance committee has taken bipartisan action to tackle a range of health care challenges, leveraging collaboration and consensus to advance commonsense solution for seniors and working families. Our Pharmacy Benefit Management reforms would modernize medicares Prescription Drug benefits, driving down costs at the pharmacy counter and netting billions in savings for taxpayers. The committees Mental Health proposals would build on previous efforts to shore up Patient Access to critical services, especially in row communities. These policies received nearly unanimous support all through regular order. Your department and its sub agencies have offered essential Technical Assistance throughout these processes. That support has ensured alignment between our legislation and its intended goals. And i thank you for that. As we move forward, further action on these overdue patient focused proposals must become an urgent priority. Not just for our committee, but also for the administration. We have a responsibility to patients, Community Pharmacies and Front Line Health Care providers to deliver on these commitments. Regardless of policy differences on other fronts. The president s budget request, unfortunately, falls severely short of that aim. On Prescription Drugs, the document makes virtually no mention of the robust partisan bicameral efforts. Instead, opting to double down on a price control policy that polarizes members in both chambers. Bipartisan bills in the senate and house would address unintended consequences spurred by the Inflation Reduction Acts pricing provisions. Particularly for patients with rare diseases, who will likely see fewer Treatment Options under that law. Rather than embrace these avenues for viable reform, the budget seeks to expand the Program Scope with no attempt at improved transparency, certainty or mitigation. Further, the president s budget request confirms an overreaching mandate that would force Nursing Homes to close their doors and result in less access to home and communitybased services for medicaid beneficiaries. This document highlights the visions and misses vital opportunities for productive, patient driven partnerships with congress. We will continue engaging with your department on a host of Health Care Hurdles that demand policymakers attention. You have rightly raised concerns on around the ongoing surge in medication shortages, including for lifesaving therapies. The chairman to die recently and i recently released an outline of solutions to mitigate this crisis. And we look forward to working with hhs and cms to develop legislation designed to achieve these goals. We also stand ready to partner on proposals aligned with the president s cancer moonshot, including by ensuring that seniors can access innovations like multicancer Early Detection screening. Those tests can be invaluable. Earlier, i joined senator bennett in reintroducing our bill to grant Medicare Coverage with bipartisan majorities in both chambers. Bipartisan majorities in both chambers have joined as sponsors for this legislation. While the administration aired in rescinding regulations aimed at expediting access to medical breakthroughs, your department could take a range of steps to restore patients trust in reliable coverage for medical devices. Including by expanding and enhancing the proposed pathway that cms published last year. Before closing, let me emphasize the importance of timely communication with respect to the cyberattack on change health care. While you have taken important steps to issue guidance and flexibility to insurers, providers and contractors to mitigate the effects of this hack, over the the over two week delay resulted in unavoidable uncertainty. Already, financially vulnerable, rural hospitals and providers with little to no cash reserves required immediate action by the administration to ensure payrolls could be met and services could be continued without interruption. In the coming days and weeks, hhs should continue to update members and stakeholders on efforts to limit further disruption. We have an obligation to build on longstanding legacies of bipartisanship and bolster the clinician workforce, drive valuebased care, improve broken Payment Systems and ensure longterm access to telehealth. With these joint goals in mind, thank you again for being here, mr. Secretary. And thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, senator crapo. Getting a 260 vote in major legislation involving enormous sums of money is just about impossible. Its hard to get a 26 or 270 vote on ordering soda pop. Thank you for your work on that. Secretary becerra. Sec. Becerra thank you for the invitation. When President Biden took office in january of 2021, covid was ravaging our families and our economy and americans were dying at a rate of 23 9 11s everyday. In january of 2021, the number of americans with Health Insurance was, like our jobs and the economy, down and on the canvas. Prescription drug prices were skyrocketing with patients and their pocketbooks at the mercy of big pharma. Today, three years later, nearly 700 million shots of covid vaccines have gone into the arms of americans and we can now manage covid like the flu. Today, more than 300 million americans, a record number, can go to the doctor or hospital and not go bankrupt because they have their own Health Insurance. More than 21 million of those americans can count on the Affordable Care marketplace for their insurance. Another record. Today, while big pharma is still big, the president s new Prescription Drug law has brought down the price of insulin to 35 a month for americans on medicare. As we speak, we are negotiating with Drug Companies to lower the prices of even more Prescription Drugs. Even as they sue us to stop us. The president s budget doubled down on the investments that made the comeback of our jobs, economy and health possible. It fosters innovation and protects every americans access to the care she needs. This budget does not just strengthen medicare, it strengthens it beyond our lifetime. This budget continues our ship for our Health System that treats illness to one that sustains wellness. All told, fyi 2025 the fy 2025 budget provides 1. 7 showing dollars in mandatory funding to advance our mission and invest in key priorities. The budget provides medicaid like coverage to low income individuals in the outlier states that have not expended medicaid under the Affordable Care act. When that happens, another 1. 5 million americans will have Health Care Coverage and the peace of mind that comes with it. This budget builds on the largest investment in a generation. It bolsters a 988 suicide crisis lifeline and gives young people support at home and school. That means boosting our Behavior Health workforce with 12,000 new psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, marriage and family therapist, council lists and peer support specialists. Across hhs, they tackle the Maternal Health crisis by improving access to preand postnatal care. We are making child care more affordable for working families. And more available where families live and work. This budget will provide increased wages for Early Childhood education workers and it would fund more than 750,000 slots for children in head start. And, it funds universal preschool for our nations 4 million fouryearold children and eventually will include our threeyearolds as well. Our budget grows and strengthens the Cybersecurity Initiative to ensure safety and privacy and keep our hospitals and providers, especially smaller ones and those in Rural Communities, running and secure. Finally, this administration has made tremendous strides in preparedness capabilities since the pandemic. And we keep building. This budget invests in countermeasures to combat antimicrobial resistant drugs, to expand monitoring supply chains and innovate 200 data sources across federal, state and local governments to improve information sharing. We cant reduce the health and wellbeing of americans to a line on a budget spreadsheet but we can transform the numbers on that Balance Sheet into investment and services that sustain health and promote wellness for all americans. President biden has presented a forward leaning budget. I look forward to taking your questions. Thank you, secretary. Let me start with the lower Prescription Drug cost for seniors issued. I went through some of what former President Donald Trump said. He said Pharma Companies were cutting away with murder. He said that would change under his presidency and that he would create a fair and Competitive Bidding process and prices would come way, way down. The