John Rice Carter: “I am thankful to have this opportunity tonight. Obviously, the subject matter that we have been discussing here…”

“I am thankful to have this opportunity tonight. Obviously, the subject matter that we have been discussing here, prescription drug prices, is something that is very important to all Americans, and I am very happy that we are finally getting around to this. Madam Speaker, as a practicing pharmacist for most of my career, I take the issue of drug pricing very personally. In fact, it is one of the primary reasons that I wanted to come to Congress, to do something about it. I had the honor and privilege of practicing pharmacy for over 30 years. I was the one at the front counter who had to tell the patient how much the medication was. I was the one who witnessed the mother in tears because she couldn't afford the medication for her child. I was the one who witnessed the senior citizens trying to make decisions between whether they were going to buy their medications or buy their groceries. I was the one on the other side of the counter. I committed myself to do something about that once I became a Member of Congress, and I am glad to see that we are finally doing that. I want to preface my remarks by saying this: I truly believe that those on the other side of the aisle and we on this side of the aisle want the same thing. I truly believe that. I truly believe that we all want to lower prescription drug prices, and I truly believe that we can do just that. I truly believe that we need to do just that. However, there are some differences here.…”