After holding a rural healthcare roundtable, Governor Abbott & HHS Sec. RFK Jr. took questions.
A liberal reporter asked about the CDC, and if gun violence was a public health crisis. RFK Jr. didn't miss a beat shooting it down, "I certainly consider mass shootings a health crisis, and we are doing for the 1st time real studies to find out what the ideology of that is."
He also confirmed that CDC Director Susan Monarez was fired. As for the roundtable:
During the roundtable, Governor Abbott and Secretary Kennedy discussed the Rural Healthcare Transformation Program and how the state can continue improving rural health outcomes for Texans. The Governor highlighted the Make Texas Healthy Again package that he signed into the law the day prior, putting Texans on a pathway to make better-informed health and nutrition decisions. The Governor pointed out that working with the Trump Administration and Secretary Kennedy, Texas is leading the charge in Making America Healthy Again.
Governor Abbott, Secretary Kennedy, and participants representing the rural healthcare industry emphasized the need to continue to invest in mental and physical healthcare efforts across Texas. The group celebrated the wins for rural healthcare during the 89th legislative session that address gaps in maternity services and childcare, mental health services, and expand rural hospital grant programs. The Governor noted that there is still work to be done, and that he will continue to fight for the health and safety of Texans for generations to come.
"Our goal has to be to ensure that every corner of our state is going to be prepared to respond to the health care needs of their community," said Governor Abbott. "More than 190 counties are categorized as rural in this state, and they have more than 6 million Texans. We have an obligation to ensure that those communities are able to succeed. I want to thank Secretary Kennedy and President Trump for helping prioritize the rural regions of our state to ensure healthcare in rural regions improve."
“Governor Abbott, thank you for your dedication to rural health care providers in Texas,” said Secretary Kennedy. “And thank you, President Trump, for your brilliant One Big Beautiful Bill and its Rural Health Transformation provision, which delivers $50 billion in rural health support across the United States. We will strengthen and expand rural health like never before. That is my promise to rural communities, my promise to Texas, and my promise to the American people.”
Also at the press conference, Governor Abbott and Secretary Kennedy reiterated recent investments into rural healthcare at both the state and federal level. These investments include $300 million in state funds and $100 million a year for the next five years in federal funds for behavioral telehealth, AI innovation, and the transformation of rural health laboratories.