Jack Kingston: “what I think is real important to understand is that in Canada and Mexico they can buy drugs made in America by the same…”

“what I think is real important to understand is that in Canada and Mexico they can buy drugs made in America by the same drug companies that we buy from at our local pharmacist and they can buy those same drugs, same dosage for 30 percent less, 40 percent less in one case, 25 percent less; and yet, if they live in Minnesota or New York or Maine and they drive over to a pharmacist and buy them, the Clinton FDA stops them. Here is an opportunity that, under the Clinton administration we passed NAFTA, which has cost us a lot of jobs in our area, and yet free trade with Canada would mean they should be able to buy things over there; and yet it is the Clinton administration that keeps our seniors from doing that. And that is something that could affect the cost of prescription drugs right now. Now, my interest and I think the interest of the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss) is that, if we can get our seniors to get lower-cost drugs, there is more competition in the system and more competition will bring the prices down; and so we want the folks in Minnesota and on the border States to get their drugs cheaper from Canada because we may be able do that also through the Internet. But we also will benefit when the prices come down, and that is why it is in our interest as a Nation.”