The latest roadblock to Trump’s plan to put drug prices in ads: House Republicans President Trump’s splashiest idea for lowering the cost of prescription drug prices was to force pharmaceutical companies to include the prices of their products in TV and other advertisements. But when Capitol Hill had a chance Thursday to help him achieve that goal, lawmakers failed. And counterintuitively, it was House members in the president’s own party who ultimately nixed the provision. In fact, it was a Democrat, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, pushing the measure hardest. The provision in question is an amendment from Durbin and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) that would give the Food and Drug Administration $1 million
to help get the ball rolling on Trump’s advertising idea, which he first floated in May. The pair of lawmakers was hoping to include it in a major government funding bill expected to get a vote in the coming weeks. Rumors began surfacing in Washington Thursday morning, ahead of a bicameral, bipartisan meeting about the spending bill, that the measure had been stripped out of the final package, despite clearing the Senate unanimously late last month. In a tweet Thursday morning, Grassley called the move an “EMBARRASSING bow to BIG PHARMA at the expense
of consumers.” “Transparency in advertising is the very least Congress can do. Let’s put patients before pharma,” Durbin said. Current and former congressional aides following the negotiations pointed fingers at House Republicans, as did Durbin and several other lawmakers at the meeting. None would name specific members who opposed the language, but aides allege the lawmakers stripped the provision when reconciling the separate funding bills passed by both the House and Senate. Even Rep. Tom Cole (ROkla.), who declined to say
whether he had a hand in stripping the provision, acknowledged that some of his GOP colleagues opposed the measure. But he also suggested the FDA might not need the extra funding to carry out the regulatory work. “There’s some debate if they need the language at all. So, let’s see what happens,” Cole added. He may be right. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar previously told lawmakers that he has the power to mandate these disclosures without congressional action, though it isn’t clear if the additional funding is necessary for that work….Read More
Sen. Sherrod Brown: Workers, Retirees At Risk If Kavanaugh Confirmed The Alliance hosted a teletown hall event with thousands of members on Wednesday to discuss the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supr eme Court. Speaking about the impact Kavanaugh’s confirmation would have on retirees and workers were Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH); Robert Roach, Jr., Pr esident of the Alliance; Ed Jayne, Associate Director, Federal Government Affairs Department of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); and Becky Levin, Legislative Affairs Specialist with AFSCME. “As a judge, Brett Kavanaugh
has strongly argued against keeping protections contained in the Affordable Care Act for people with pre-existing health conditions,” President Roach told listeners. “This is particularly important to older Americans, since we know 84% of people 55 - 64 have at least one pre-existing health condition.” Sen. Brown shared a personal story about how pre-existing conditions have affected his family and explained why confirming Judge Kavanaugh would be harmful for seniors, discussing Kavanaugh’s rulings favoring wealthy corporate interests over working Americans.
“I met with Judge Kavanaugh previously, and I was not impressed with his record on health care, labor unions, and workers’ rights. We already have a Supreme Court that doesn’t interpret the law, they make law,” Brown said. Participants on the call learned that 25 million Americans between 50 and 64 would be affected by rolling back protections for patients with preexisting conditions. The issue is central to a case challenging the Affordable Care Act, in which Kavanaugh could be the deciding vote. Additionally, only 7% of requested documents were provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee ahead of
Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings last week. “We must stop the confirmation of Robert Brett Kavanaugh to Roach, Jr become the next justice on the United States Supreme Court, and we need your help to do it before the Senate votes on September 20,” said President Roach. The Alliance is urging you to call your Senators and explain why Judge Kavanaugh is dangerous for retirees. Call (855) 712-8430 to be patched through to your Senator’s office.
‘I support higher taxes’: The billionaire behind the National Debt Clock has had it with Trump When U.S. government debt topped a trillion dollars for the first time in the early 1980s, New York real estate magnate Seymour Durst sent every member of Congress a holiday card that said: “Happy New Year! Your share of the federal
debt is $5,000.” When lawmakers refused to act, Durst went further, putting up the National Debt Clock in 1989 on a building he owned just off New York City’s bustling Times
Square. Three decades later, the clock is still running, yet U.S. debt has skyrocketed and most in Congress
President Donald Trump, campaigned on balancing the budget, yet they have added more than $1.5 trillion to the debt in the past year….Read More
ignore it. Republicans, including
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