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[US HHS Deputy Secretary Nominee Crump Attends Hearing: Democrats Press for Confidentiality of Vaccine Stance and Drug Pricing Agreements] (1) Chris Crump, the nominee for Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services, appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday for his confirmation hearing, facing sharp questions from Democrats. He was nominated to be the Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services, making him the second most important person after Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (2) Democrats pressed Crump on the extent to which he would follow Kennedy's controversial views on vaccines. Crump said his job was to "make sure the agency runs smoothly" and earn people's trust, adding that "sweeping the questions of skeptics under the rug doesn't solve anything." He fully acknowledged the safety of vaccines but pointed out that he was not an immunology expert. (3) Senators Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren also pressured Crump on the confidentiality of President Trump's Medicaid "most favored nation" drug pricing agreements. Crump played a key role in assisting in the negotiation of these agreements. (4) Wyden argued that if these agreements truly help Americans who cannot afford prescription drugs, the government should be eager to release the details. Warren demanded to know what pharmaceutical companies would receive in return for agreeing to price reductions, including tariff reductions, exemptions from the Medicare Drug Pricing Model Program, expedited FDA approval, and the ability to maintain higher prices overseas while lowering prices in the U.S. (5) Crump stated that the details needed to be kept confidential to avoid leaking trade secrets and other proprietary information. Warren responded, “I want to see what the agreements are…that’s not how oversight works.” (6) Democrats have consistently been skeptical of government drug pricing agreements. Warren and Wyden’s questions suggest the direction lawmakers might take in oversight should Democrats win control of the Senate.