Frank Pallone

GAO reports that CMS has made several changes since 2011 to help limit improper payments.

Expansion makes good economic sense, and good moral sense.

Smart, effective regulation reinforces both goals simultaneously.

Cutting down on waste, fraud, and abuse is, and must remain, a priority for CMS, state Medicaid programs, and this Committee.

Every dollar lost to misuse or fraud of our Federal health programs is one less dollar available to fund essential lifesaving medical services for Americans.

For decades Medicaid has been a lifeline for tens of millions of hard working Americans across the country.

But then are we are to assume that the reason Takata is stopping its production of these PSDI inflators is because they are unsafe?

So you suspect there could be a problem?

Do you believe that increasing the size of the statutory penalties would have allowed NHTSA to put more pressure on Takata?

Are financial incentives an effective means of ensuring compliance amongst manufacturers, in your opinion?

Getting dangerous cars off the road is crucial. Airbags are supposed to save lives, and not take lives.

Though it has taken months, I am glad that Takata finally admitted that its airbags are defective, and finally moved forward with national recalls.

The Vehicle Safety Improvement Act takes valuable lessons from those recalls and addresses existing weaknesses in information sharing, oversight, and accountability regarding auto safety.

Had more information about Takata airbag ruptures been cataloged and diagnosed earlier, I believe lives could have been saved.

2014 was the year of the recall. Almost half of all cars on our roads were recalled.

I think that is why we need legislation.

This is the second hearing this subcommittee has held on the Takata airbag recalls, and our first hearing was 6 months ago, and yet in that time we are still left with many of the same questions.

I am hopeful that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me in this bill.

Absolutely, sequestration has had an impact. We cannot keep up with the demand, number one, so any additional resources that we can get through block grant money or however else we can do this would really be appreciated.

Let me add one more thing. You know, SAMHSA, we understand that the SAMHSA Block Grant, or the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant, you know, has actually been cut by 25 percent in the last 10 years.

We can further address the needs of those with substance use disorder, including healthcare coverage and access, the two are not equal, and job training via our Healthy Indiana Plan.

I want to make sure we are supporting the States in their efforts to address the epidemic.

I'm glad this subcommittee is devoting significant attention to this issue because like all of the Members here today, I am concerned about what is happening in my State.

I am glad the subcommittee is devoting significant attention to this issue because like all of the members here today, I am concerned about what is happening in my State.

The Product Safety Commission now is moving beyond CPSIA implementation, and there is still a lot of hard work ahead.