Joe Crowley: “Mr. Chairman, as the sponsor of this amendment, let me say that I am somewhat surprised at the support that this…”

“Mr. Chairman, as the sponsor of this amendment, let me say that I am somewhat surprised at the support that this amendment has received from the other side of the aisle. I am astounded, quite frankly. I appreciate the support of many of the individuals who have spoken to me, some of whom are friends of mine from the other side of the aisle. I appreciate their comments on the floor. In no way do I believe that they are not being sincere at this point in time. But just under 2 weeks ago, we stood here on this floor; and we passed a bill that I call to the floor a sham; and I continue to call that bill a sham. The amendment that my colleagues have before them today is really of very little consequence, and I am the sponsor of this amendment. It basically takes away the authority of the FDA to prosecute any individual who reimports drugs that were made in this country. But it really is an attempt to shine a light on price discrimination in the United States. But what this amendment does show, Mr. Chairman, in my opinion, is the hypocrisy of this House at times. In 1 week we can pass a sham of a bill, and a week and a half later, come back and pass an amendment that in and of itself will not go far enough to help most of the seniors in this country who are not insured, seniors who struggle on a weekly basis to pay rent, to pay their bills.”