Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities, so do like I did and have one of your assistants' assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today.
I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of $45 for three month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at mintmobile.com. We are increasing Medicaid spending.
I'll give you a number. We project $200 billion of more money being spent on Medicaid. We already have a healthcare system that spends twice as much on individuals as any other system in the world.
So the problem isn't money. The issue is the increased expenditures on Medicaid, which is 50% bigger than it was five years ago before the pandemic, is crippling the system. We are hurting Medicaid. The president said, and it's very clear on this, he wants to love and cherish these programs. Our job is to save the system. Yeah, that is Dr. Oz, who's trying to save Medicare, Medicaid and Medicare.
Now they're talking about some type of reform when it comes to Medicare, which was not going to be touched originally. Meanwhile, working away is his colleague, Dr. Marni McCarey, great guest of the show, former Fox News contributor, now FDA commissioner. Dr. McCarey, welcome back. Great to be with you, Brian. Thanks. What has been your focus from day one?
I noticed you're not looking to color in the lines. You're looking to push the envelope and move this division forward. In what way? Well, my goal is very simple. I wanted to see more cures and meaningful treatments delivered for the American people and healthier food for children because we've got a disease epidemic and we can't just talk about insulin and ozone for kids. We've got to talk about school lunch programs and the SNAP program and all the chemicals that appear in our food supply. We also have to cut the red tape for our developers and inventors. The new therapies that are in the pipeline, Brian, are amazing. One of the cool things about being the head of the FDA is I get to see the stuff that's in development and it is amazing.
Treatments for stage four cancers of certain types, childhood blindness, diabetes. So I want to see these cures come to market and to do that, we have to insist on the scientific standards. We can't cut corners on that, but we have to ask big questions we've never asked before. Why does it take 10 years for a drug to come to market in the United States? We've got to challenge some deeply held assumptions. So what program is going to push that?
There's a name for a new program you have? If I have a medicine that I want, I have stage four cancer, I need it, it's still being developed, what can we do? So we want to build on the successes of the accelerated review program, that priority review program, and right now we're doing this incredible analysis of how we can just cut the red tape, cut the steps, be in better communication with the developers of these drugs so they don't have to wait two months just to get a letter returned with a simple question. So we're looking at running continuous trials, we're looking at reducing animal testing, we made a big announcement on how we don't need animal testing for certain drugs now, we've got computational modeling, we've got laboratory cells that you can test drugs on that are more predictive sometimes, and some of these drugs are approved in Europe and they've been on the market and yet the FDA has still been requiring animal testing on these drugs.
So it's like we're not using common sense and one of our big themes is gold standard science and common sense. Absolutely, Dr. McCary, I saw that RFK Jr. came out as HHS secretary and says if the medical schools don't start including nutrition, you're going to lose funding. When it comes to nutrition, you're focusing on baby formula. Remember, we had a crisis of baby formula when Joe Biden first took over, we couldn't get it, but you're looking at what's in it.
You said it has not been modernized, really looked at since the 80s? Since 1998, for 26 years, we've had essentially no changes to the baby formula world because we have this crazy system where the FDA creates a recipe. I mean, basically think about this, the government is telling you this is the recipe for baby formula and they haven't touched it in 26 years with the exception of adding selenium ones. So we've had very little innovation and so what happens is you get these supply chains that are dependent on certain companies mass producing it and what you don't have is competition, right? So we want to see more products come to market. Moms want baby formula with no seed oil, they want baby formula with no corn syrup, they want baby formula with no heavy metals. So we had a giant round table at the FDA three days ago where we brought in experts from around the world to talk about how we innovate and change this entire space so we can see more innovation and more products come to market.
And did something come out of it and do you find that people are intrigued by your interest in everything going forward rather than going along? Well, there are some folks at the FDA that say, wait a minute, this is how we've been doing this for decades, you know, or the FDA commissioners never involved in these product related matters and, you know, historically this is not how we've done it. Well, it's a new day at the FDA. We have got to modernize the agency. We implemented AI-assisted scientific reviews this week across the agency.
Over 5,000 scientific reviewers and other staff at the agency are using our AI-assisted review tools to be able to go through these giant applications faster. And we're just doing a lot of common sense stuff, Brian. And my hope is that it delivers more meaningful treatments and cures for Americans.
Absolutely. So, you know, one thing I was struck by, and we were texting, I texted you, I just could not believe the hostility your direction on Face the Nation, especially when something is logical. Should you be getting COVID shot for kids? And I don't think they were prepared, but Margaret Brennan or anybody is prepared for the depth of knowledge that people on our channel, not just doctors on our channel, were forced to go deep on the pandemic and people were questioning nonstop. On the other channels, it was just right, tell me what to do.
It wasn't happening on Fox. Listen to this. Well, let's relive this exchange with you and Margaret Brennan on vaccines in kids cut 66 for 88 percent of American kids, their parents have said no to the COVID shot last season.
So America, the vast majority of Americans are saying no. Maybe they want to see some clinical data as well. Maybe they have concerns.
I don't want to crowdsource my health guidance. I want a clear thing, right? You don't go with popularity. As you're saying, data.
Yes. So let's see the data. OK, so the CDC data said said 41 percent of children aged six months to 17 years hospitalized with COVID between 2022 and 2024 did not have a known underlying condition.
In other words, they looked healthy. So COVID was serious for them. So first of all, we know the CDC data is contaminated with a lot of false positives from incidental positive COVID tests, with routine testing of every kid that walks in the hospital. When I go to the ICU, when I walk to the P, we know that data historically under the Biden administration did not distinguish being sick from COVID or an incidental positive COVID test. When you go to an ICU in America and you ask how many people are in the ICU that are healthy, that are sick with COVID, the answer I get again and again is we haven't seen that in a year or years. So Paul, let's just, so Dr. McCary, this is what we're talking about. You have these people hopping on television talking about all these kids in ICUs and we're saying who are these kids?
They don't have underlying conditions. So where does the rubber hit the road on this conversation? What struck you most?
Well, look, I think you saw the fear machine in full force right there. Americans, the COVID emergency is over. 85 percent of healthcare workers said no to the COVID shot last year. Healthcare workers, Brian- But she doesn't want to crowdsource her health.
She doesn't want to crowdsource her health, Dr. McCary. Well, I mean, what happened to listening to the scientists, right? That 85 percent healthcare workers said no to the COVID booster shot. We wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine, the head of the vaccine center and myself wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine, our top journal, an evidence-based approach for vaccines in the United, for COVID vaccines. And we're just saying like it's been four years since a randomized control trial. If vaccines come to us for COVID at the FDA, we want to see a clinical trial showing a benefit. And in the meantime, we're not taking away vaccines for high risk people or immunosuppressed folks where their doctor thinks it is reasonable. But we're getting back to science. We're not putting a blindfold on at the FDA and rubber stamping COVID shots every year without any clinical updated trial data. And so that's our approach. The government is not your doctor. And I think that's where some people want the government to be your doctor, but when the government is your doctor, it doesn't have a very good track record. So what was your sense when you were sitting across from her?
She looks so angry at you. Well, they're all God's children, Brian. I feel bad for folks that have just, they're so deep in the Fauci camp that they can't possibly imagine a world where a young baby girl born today does not get 80 shots in her average 80 year lifespan. You know, people are just, they've bought this blind strategy. There's two thoughts with the COVID booster. The blind camp, which is, we don't need any clinical trial data for young healthy kids.
Just blindly give it to them every year without data. And the other camp, which is my camp, which is the evidence-based strategy that we outlined in the New England Journal of Medicine. Here's the other argument. Of course, pregnant women shouldn't get COVID shots in 2025, but that doesn't resonate with her.
Cut 67. You published in the New England Journal of Medicine on May 20th. In that report you referenced, you listed pregnancy as an underlying medical condition that increases a person's risk for severe COVID. You said that. So then seven days later, you joined in this video announcement saying you should drop the recommendation for the COVID vaccine in healthy pregnant women.
So what changed in the seven days? In the New England Journal of Medicine, we simply list what the CDC has traditionally defined as high risk. And we're just saying, decide with your doctor.
We're not saying one way or the other. Data and information as well from you. So here's the data on pregnant women. A randomized controlled trial was set up and it was closed without any explanation. We wanted to see that trial complete so women can have information that in a randomized controlled trial, which is the gold standard, this is what the data shows. We don't have those data.
All right. It is still unclear what pregnant women now should do until they get the data that you say talk to their doctor. When do they get the data you're promising? All these controlled studies? In the absence of data, they should talk to their doctor and their doctor will use their best wisdom and judgment. FDA commissioner, thank you for trying to help clear this up.
I mean, absolutely despicable. Number one is you've been there three months. The study was stopped. So you're saying, well, I'm not going to come out with a conclusion on a study that wasn't completed.
And she's like, well, where's your study? It's June 1st. It's June 1st.
I forgot about that exchange, Brian. I've been in the job about nine weeks here as FDA commissioner. We put out an article and they go through it with a fine tooth comb looking for anything. And meanwhile, in the Biden administration, it didn't matter if the medical establishment ignored natural immunity, closed schools for a year and a half, masked toddlers, vaccine mandates, or you lose your job.
None of that got screwed me or another point of view. But if we write an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, our top medical journal, and we include a list of risk factors from the CDC, she goes through and says, well, hey, you've got pregnancy listed as a risk factor and gotcha. I'm saying it's up to you and your doctor.
13% of pregnant women got the COVID shot last year. What does that tell you? They don't want it.
Of course, but you don't want to crowdsource your information. Dr. McCary, it's the reality that's hitting Washington and watching it in real time is so fascinating to me. Because you can't out think you or out resource you. You've been through it. You do this every day. You don't just put on a lab coat and say, I have an idea. Let me just create some legislation.
You're out there trying to figure it out while moving everything forward. And that seems to bother people. They're really just, it's a sad commentary of how polarized our country became with the sort of absolutism of the public health establishment, insisting you leave the military if you didn't have your COVID second shot, that you stop being a teacher, that you get fired as a firefighter.
It became so toxic. And we're saying, look, we're not telling everyone you must get a COVID shot. Every 12-year-old girl in America must get her sixth shot. We're not saying that.
And we're not saying the shots are gonna be taken off the market. We're just taking an evidence-based approach in the middle and we're saying talk to your doctor and people go bananas on both sides sometimes. And I just love the also the emphasis everywhere with RFK's team on nutrition. Because it was like go to a nutritionist or go to a doctor.
Can you imagine if you can go to one? And they both had equal passion for what we eat and how your body responds. And then preventive medicine, stem cells, which is coming our way.
I'm fascinated by what could happen with you guys in charge. Dr. Marty Makary, thanks so much. Thanks, Brian. Good to be with you. Yeah, you really appreciate it here, even if you're not there.
