Harry Reid: “last night we passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Conference Report. We all know how important that bill is…”

“last night we passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Conference Report. We all know how important that bill is to our country and our troops. Prior to passing that bill, we were successful in removing provisions to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Those provisions had no place in that bill. As was noted on the floor last night, there were other provisions that did not belong in the conference report. They were not included in the House- or Senate-passed bills. They were not at all related to the Department of Defense's appropriations. In fact, conferees had been assured that these provisions would not be included at all. But Republican leaders swept in and declared that they would be included, in violation of promises and the rules. And that is not the worst part. The provisions themselves bestow on drug companies sweeping immunity from the consequences of reckless wrongdoing. It was the Republican leadership's big Christmas present to their friends in the drug industry. This immunity extends to all aspects of the development and production of drugs or vaccines so long as they are used to prevent, treat, or diagnose what the administration declares an ``epidemic.'' Republican leaders have insisted that these provisions are about preparing for pandemic flu or bioterrorist attack. They are exploiting our fears to go well beyond that. What is an ``epidemic''?…”