**Kuster’s clipped remarks are available here**

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02), a senior Member of the prominent Energy and Commerce Committee, spoke against a Republican provision to rescind critical funding for children’s hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to patients. During the Health Subcommittee hearing, Kuster urged her colleagues to focus on strengthening our health care system, not politicizing doctors and weaponizing federal funding for hospitals. 

“In the ‘Live Free or Die’ state, we believe in less government interference in our personal, private lives. That includes in our health care,” said Kuster. “It is extremely disappointing to see the Republican majority use this hearing to wage a culture war against our nation’s doctors and hospitals. The proposed provision would do far more harm than good, holding funding for children’s hospitals hostage and villainizing patients. The government has no role in policing what care doctors and nurses can provide their patients.”

The Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education program, which would be jeopardized by the proposed Republican provision, funds children’s hospitals and helps graduate medical education (GME) programs train pediatric clinicians. The CHGME program has trained almost half of the nation’s general pediatric residents. Since 1999, the program has been repeatedly reauthorized on a bipartisan basis.

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