Political Quotes

“People from around the world, Mr. Speaker, come to America for first-class medical care, but Americans need to travel around the world for affordable medications. Between 2000 and 2003, seniors' expenditures on prescription drugs increased by 44 percent. The legislation we are debating today is about inserting competition into drug pricing to ensure that Americans no longer have to pay a 25 to 40 percent premium over the prices paid in other countries. For too long, price gouging of our seniors has gone on, subsidizing the discounts the French, Germans, and Italians enjoy. We are about to embark on the largest expansion of an entitlement in over 40 years, spending $400 billion of taxpayer money. We owe it to our taxpayers to ensure that they are getting the best price, not the most expensive price. And to the issue of safety, I would like to address two points. One, I spoke to Donna Shalala, the former Secretary of HHS, on Friday. She never said that you could not do this. She said you could ensure the safety if you put the resources behind the FDA. And a lot of folks wants to build a mythology around what she said. Second, in 2001, we imported $14.8 billion of medications. Lipitor is manufactured in Ireland, and it is on the shelves here in the United States. So to those who spout this myth about safety, we better take Lipitor off the shelves. Let me also say one thing. When people say something is not about money, well, it is about money.”