Political Quotes

“I urge my colleagues to vote against the Republican motion to recommit. This motion to recommit is a distraction, and it provides cover to the pharmaceutical industry to continue to raise prices, just as we have seen them do on thousands of drugs this year alone. Moreover, my Republican colleagues would have you believe that it is the pharmaceutical industry alone that is responsible for innovation and for funding innovation in this country, which omits the critical role that the Federal Government has played and will continue to play in drug development and the discovery of novel therapies. Let me be clear, Madam Speaker: The investments in research for COVID-19 treatments and vaccines aren't being put on the backs of the pharmaceutical industry. It is Congress and the American taxpayer who have made unprecedented investments as we race to find a cure for COVID-19. In response to COVID-19, Congress has invested over $8 billion for innovative biomedical research development and the purchase of new vaccines and therapeutics, including $4.4 billion in the CARES Act, and $3.8 billion in the Supplemental Appropriations Act in the last month or so. This Enhancement Act combined with the HEROES Act, which the Senate has still not taken up, would more than double this historic investment, bringing it to over $19 billion. And the manager's amendment to this bill is another $2 billion.…”