Political Quotes

“the stars have aligned. Senator Frist has agreed to a vote on drug reimportation. That is how we recognize health care reform and Health Care Week and make a dent in skyrocketing health care costs. Now we are getting somewhere. I should not have to remind Members of this body that in the last Congress here in the House we passed reimportation with a bipartisan majority. It is time now for an up-or-down vote in this House. In the very week we are debating health care reform, only 1 week, I might add, what is conspicuously absent? The one item which actually would help control costs of drugs and pharmaceutical products, the reimportation, providing Americans with a 50 percent reduction in the price of their prescription drugs. Springfield, Massachusetts saved $6 million in the first year they began importing prescription drugs. But we cannot have any of that here in the people's House. No. We get to vote on protecting drug companies like Merck, who make Vioxx, from any public redress for misleading the public. George Orwell would appreciate that. Americans can no longer afford double-digit increases in prescription drugs. Mr. Speaker, it is time we give them a break and a vote on reimportation of pharmaceutical products. That is the right way to make progress on controlling health care costs. ____________________”