Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) at a Tuesday hearing asked a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) nominee if he would provide information about the Trump administration’s recent decision to cut funds for teen pregnancy prevention programs, as HHS officials ignore inquiries from members of Congress.

Murray began by pointing out that if confirmed as assistant secretary for health at HHS, Dr. Brett Giroir would “oversee both the agency’s Office of Population Affairs, which administers the agency’s Title X grants, and the Office of Adolescent Health, which manages the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program.”

The Center for Investigative Reporting’s Reveal reported last month that HHS has moved to eliminate “$213.6 million in teen pregnancy prevention programs and research at more than 80 institutions around the country” by ending grants for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program two years early. Grantees were told the decision came from the office of the assistant secretary for health, according to Reveal.

Murray was one of 37 U.S. senators to sign a July 21 letter to HHS Secretary Tom Price questioning the “short-sighted” decision to cut the funding, noting that it “puts at risk the health and well-being of women and our most vulnerable youth.” On July 25, almost 150 more members of Congress signed a letter to Price demanding an explanation for why teen pregnancy prevention will be slashed. 

The senators have not received a response to their letter, Murray stated at the confirmation hearing.  She asked Giroir if he would “commit to providing information to me and other concerned senators about why the administration is trying to terminate these grants when they are meant to continue for an additional two years.”

“You have my commitment to work with you and provide information,” Giroir replied.

When asked what he planned to do about teen pregnancy prevention, Giroir said that according to the administration, the cut programs “did not significantly influence the drop in the teen pregnancy rate.”

“That is all I know about the rationale,” he said.

When Murray asked whether he believed that, Giroir replied that he has not personally reviewed the evidence or the administration’s assessment. He claimed that if confirmed, addressing the subject would be “high on [his] agenda,” though he did not reveal his opinion of the pregnancy prevention program.