While President Biden diverted COVID funds from being used to fight the pandemic, damaging our economy and the mental health of kids and seniors, Republican Leader on the House Ways and Means Committee Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) called for bipartisan solutions that address mental health, make access to telehealth permanent, open schools, and use COVID funds as intended.
Key excerpts from Rep. Brady’s remarks:
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for being here today. I agree that there is an opportunity for bipartisan work together on mental health and look forward to achieving that.
“I worry though, that President Biden’s Administration has bungled the pandemic, including diverting funding from fighting COVID, damaging our economy and the population’s mental health, and delaying vital reforms that would make access to telehealth permanent.
“Tragically, less than a dime of every dollar in Democrats’ $2 trillion, so-called ‘COVID stimulus’ went to COVID vaccines and defeating the virus.
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“And despite having plenty of opportunity to make telehealth access permanent, I worry this Congress and this White House have only delayed consideration.
“The cost of the Administration’s failure on COVID has been suffering: that of our seniors living in isolation, our veterans struggling with post-combat mental health, and of America’s children.
“Veterans struggling with mental health issues have made ample use of telehealth. Last year, between January 2020 and 2021, the number of VA telehealth appointments increased eighteenfold.
“But it’s also so important to think of how we can help our kids. Much of what makes a rich, social environment for our children has been replaced with crippling isolation.
“Many schools and child care have still not returned to normal, which is only worsening learning loss and social isolation.
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“I am frustrated. President Biden and Democrats in Congress have failed to address this in the $2 trillion so-called COVID relief package.
“It’s frustrating that many agencies have hundreds of millions of dollars in unspent COVID funds.
[…]
“Thirteen states and territories reported that they have used NONE of the funds for child care.
“Families would benefit if these dollars were used as intended or, better yet, repurposed to address the current mental health crisis.
[…]
“We have seen telehealth work. It has saved countless lives of seniors and those facing dire mental health challenges. It’s time we make this solution a permanent one.
“On the heels of a raging pandemic and a terrible recession, we know the mental health crisis is real. I believe we have the tools to fight it, and if we take a bipartisan approach to doing so, I’m confident we can achieve that.”
Rep. Brady’s full remarks as prepared for delivery appear below.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for being here today, and I agree that there is an opportunity for bipartisan work together on mental health and look forward to achieving that
I worry though, that President Biden’s Administration has bungled the pandemic, including diverting funding from fighting COVID, damaging our economy and the population’s mental health, and delaying vital reforms that would make access to telehealth permanent.
Tragically, less than a dime of every dollar in Democrats’ $2 trillion, so-called “COVID stimulus” went to COVID vaccines and defeating the virus.
In the fallout of President Biden’s border crisis, the Administration diverted $850 million meant to support the nation’s COVID-19 testing capabilities, instead using the funds to house individuals who crossed into the country illegally.
After the humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden Administration again diverted $120 million from COVID and testing to help Afghan refugees.
And despite having plenty of opportunity to make telehealth access permanent, I worry this Congress and this White House has only delayed consideration.
The cost of the Administration’s failure on COVID has been suffering: That of our seniors living in isolation, our veterans struggling with post-combat mental health, and of America’s children.
Half of all seniors reported that during the pandemic, they felt isolated, spending more time by themselves. Not only were they not connecting with people, they weren’t out there doing the things they enjoy that help their mental health.
Seniors were more likely to use telehealth in order to access wellness programming, and a third of seniors used telehealth to connect with their providers. We should make this even easier, permanently.
Veterans struggling with mental health issues have made ample use of telehealth. Last year, between January 2020 and 2021, the number of VA telehealth appointments increased eighteenfold.
But it’s also so important to think of how we can help our kids. Much of what makes a rich, social environment for our children has been replaced with crippling isolation.
New research focused on New York City’s youth found that visits to emergency rooms for suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, or self-harm in the last spring were twice as high as the previous year.
Reuters reports that drug-related 911 calls for young people under the age of 20 increased by more than 40 percent last year when many schools, youth sports, and other academic and social programs were closed in many states.
Many schools and child care have still not returned to normal, which is only worsening learning loss and social isolation.
Is it any wonder why the Surgeon General issued an advisory outlining the unprecedented impact the pandemic has had on the mental health of America’s youth and families?
I am frustrated. President Biden and Democrats in Congress have failed to address this in the $2 trillion so-called COVID relief package.
It’s frustrating that many agencies have hundreds of millions of dollars in unspent COVID funds.
For example, recently the Department of Health and Human Services released data showing that 20 states and territories reported have been unable to use at least 50 percent of COVID child care stabilization funds.
Thirteen states and territories reported that they have used NONE of the funds for child care.
Families would benefit if these dollars were used as intended or, better yet, repurposed to address the current mental health crisis.
Kids in need are suffering from mental illness. Child welfare workers are under greater pressure from the pandemic.
On any given day, there are nearly 424,000 children in foster care in the United States. Let’s work together, as we have in the past, in good faith and on a bipartisan basis to support our foster youth. That’s one place, maybe the first place, where we can work together.
Second, we can work together to fight the rise of opioid use and other forms of substance abuse resulting from the pandemic and an open borders policy.
Republican majorities in the House and Senate led a historic investment in combating the opioid crisis, reducing substance use disorder across the country by enacting the SUPPORT Act.
This bill put in place many common-sense measures to reduce the unnecessary prescription of opioids and to also help those who’ve become addicted.
We’re losing momentum, both because of the pandemic, and the influx of illegal drugs resulting from President Biden’s border crisis.
Between April 2020 and April 2021 of last year, there were an estimated 100,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S., an increase of nearly 30 percent.
Last year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl at the southern border, which is more than double the amount than the year before. That fentanyl is killing Americans, our neighbors in our communities.
It is critical that we build on and improve the SUPPORT Act together, and address new challenges in combating opioids, fentanyl, and other forms of substance abuse.
Finally, the Committee can and should work together to make telehealth access permanent.
In the first year of the pandemic, the national weekly average of telehealth users jumped from 13,000 to 1.7 million. We need to make this telehealth access permanent.
We have seen telehealth work. It has saved countless lives of seniors and those facing dire mental health challenges. It’s time we make this solution a permanent one.
I’ll close here. On the heels of a raging pandemic and a terrible recession, we know the mental health crisis is real. I believe we have the tools to fight it, and if we take a bipartisan approach to doing so, I’m confident we can achieve that.