HHS Secretary Alex Azar will testify before three separate Congressional committees this coming week to defend President Donald Trump's budget, according to The Hill.
Mr. Azar will appear before the Senate Finance Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee, and the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He is expected to defend the 21 percent cut to HHS included in the president's 2019 budget, which was unveiled Monday.
A key part of the budget focuses on drug prices. On Friday, the administration proposed a number of measures to drive down prescription costs, including imposing a cap on out-of-pocket Medicare spending and allowing up to five states to band together when negotiating drug prices for Medicaid. The proposal also suggests cutting Medicare payments to restrict the amount of high-priced drugs physicians can prescribe.
These will represent Mr. Azar's first Congressional testimony since being sworn in as HHS secretary in January.