-Do you swear or affirm that the testimony
you're about to give is the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Out of 150 countries, we rank 142nd.
Tell us why this administration is coming in closer to last?
-We wish we didn't have this unprecedented
coronavirus pandemic.
But people do die in pandemics.
And our job, our mission, what gets me up every morning,
and what motivates the 83,000 dedicated people of HHS
is the chance every day to make advances
that help save some of those lives.
So people die.
We try to minimize that.
We try to mitigate human suffering.
-Do you think that the President's rallies
that he has gone to,
where people are not social distancing,
the six feet that our experts tell us
they should be doing or wearing masks,
does that contribute to the increase?
-So we have consistent advice,
which is to practice the three W's for all individuals --
wash your hands, watch your distance,
wear face coverings, avoid settings where you can't.
And that applies to any setting.
-Have you ever interacted with the President
about him being a possible role model in this country?
-I'm not gonna discuss my discussions with the President,
but the President's guidelines since April have said,
"Wear face coverings, wash your hands, wear face coverings,
practice social distancing.
-Mr. Secretary,
are you proud of the job that you have done?
-I don't like to speak in those terms.
206,000 people have died.
-And you come here today and testify
with this paltry testimony that you're giving us,
and you expect us to be happy.
We're very unhappy about what's going on.
-I'm happy to do that, if you would actually
ask questions that elicit on that point.
-I join my colleagues in wishing the President, the First lady,
his family, and the White House staff a speedy recovery.
The news that we have watched unfold this morning underscores
the importance of testing asymptomatic individuals
who may have been exposed to the coronavirus.
We do not know who exposed the President to the virus
or who he may have exposed, but it's imperative
that everyone who has come in contact with him get tested.
-On August 22nd, President Trump insinuated
that the government scientists who work for you
are trying to delay the approval of a vaccine.
Do the scientists that work for you over at HHS
represent a "deep state"
dedicated to politically sabotaging the President?
-Our people at HHS are dedicated to the American people.
I don't reuse terms like "deep state."
-Do you understand how demoralizing it is
when the President makes statements like this
about the scientists
and then you do not stand up and confront the President
for his demeaning of their motives?
-It's important that we have confidence in the work of FDA.
I support our scientists, I support our crew officials,
and I support our agencies.
-Director of the CDC, Robert Redfield,
said that this is the most important,
powerful public health tool that we have --
encouraging everyone to wear masks.
But the President attacked Dr. Redfield for that.
President Trump said, "There's a lot of problems with masks,
and maybe they're not so good."
He's mocked people who wear masks.
In fact, he mocked Vice President Biden
at the debate for wearing a mask.
He said, "Every time you see him, he's got a mask.
He shows up with the biggest mask you ever saw."
Do you agree with the President
that there are a lot of problems with masks?
Or do you agree with the CDC Director
that this is a powerful and necessary public health tool?
-I have been very clear ever since our scientists
began recommending mask wearing, especially in April,
in the reopening guidance that the President published,
that mask wearing is an important public health tool.
-What is your reaction to the fact that the First Family
that was sitting at the political debate,
Presidential debate, were not wearing masks?
Does that make your job more difficult?
-Our recommendations are always to wash your hands,
watch your distance, wear a face covering
when you can't engage in social distance,
and avoid settings where you can't do those three things.
Now, the First Family and the protective
aspect around the President
is a different situation than the rest of us
because of the protocols around the First Family.
-No, no, no. Sir.
-But our recommendations -- -Reclaiming my time,
reclaiming my time.
You send the wrong message to the American people,
that the First Family,
despite the fact that officials from the university went to them
and asked them to follow the rules,
that they were sitting there not wearing their masks.
That's the point.