Press Releases

On Thursday, April 26 at 10:00 a.m., the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Rep. John Kline (R-MN), will hold a hearing entitled “Reviewing the President’s Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Proposal for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.” The hearing will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building. 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services administers a number of social services and welfare programs, including the Community Services Block Grant and Head Start. The department also oversees a significant portion of the 2010 health care law (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA).

In his Fiscal Year 2013 budget proposal, President Obama requested more than $900 billion in spending for the department, a $66 billion increase over last year’s funding level. This includes a $1 billion increase in discretionary spending for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which Acting CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner has said will largely fund implementation of the recent health care law. Concerns remain that the law’s numerous mandates and requirements will negatively affect the economy and job growth while also increasing the cost of care.

Thursday’s hearing will provide members an opportunity to review the administration’s budget request and discuss the impact of the 2010 health care law on the federal budget and the nation’s workforce. The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, will offer testimony and answer members' questions during the hearing. To learn more about this hearing, visit www.republicans-edlabor.house.gov/hearings.

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 WITNESS LIST

The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Washington, D.C.