Chuck Grassley: “we have three critical votes ahead of us this afternoon. These votes mean that today is the day we show the American…”

“we have three critical votes ahead of us this afternoon. These votes mean that today is the day we show the American people whether we can really pass drug importation or whether we are just giving it lip service and nothing else. The Dorgan amendment is the moment American consumers have been waiting for and today is the day. As I said last week, the Dorgan amendment is the result of a collaborative effort by myself with Senator Dorgan and with Senator Snowe and Senator Kennedy to finally make drug importation legal in this country. This is the golden opportunity this year to get it done. Now we have heard here on the floor the concerns that some have with drug importation and drug safety. Let me tell you that this is something I take seriously. Everyone who knows me knows that I care deeply about the safety of drugs, and I would not be standing here today urging support for the Dorgan amendment if I didn't think it had the right stuff on drug safety. And it does. The fact is that the unsafe situation is what we have today. Today, consumers are ordering drugs over the Internet from who knows where, and the FDA does not have the resources to do much of anything about it. The fact is that legislation to legalize importation would not only help to lower the cost of prescription drugs for all Americans but also should shut down rogue Internet pharmacies selling unsafe drugs. The Dorgan amendment would improve drug safety, not threaten it.”