Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I am here to wade through the pool of crocodile tears being shed by Republicans who, for eight long years, have done nothing meaningful to address prescription price gouging. This bill provides some protection from anticompetitive pharmaceutical practices. And while it fails to lower drug prices immediately as we need, it offers great hope for the future. Key provisions are substantially the same as legislation I have introduced twice before. Big Pharma depends on monopoly power to spike prices. Taxpayers finance much of the drug development; then the government grants a monopoly and, too often, that patent monopoly is extended wrongfully by buying off the competition in what are called pay-for-delay contracts. Big Pharma claims that it has to price-gouge in order to solve and provide cures for the future. What it is really innovative about is not cures, but maintaining its monopoly position. Today's modest action is very important, but it will not fulfill our Democratic promise to deliver on lowering drug costs until we use the full power of the Federal Government, its purchasing power, to directly negotiate drug prices, much the way that the Veterans Administration gets lower prices for our veterans. Big Pharma will not yield its monopoly prices willingly. It will take more than a cry of, ``Kumbaya.'' It will take enough Members here with the intestinal fortitude to stand up to one of the most powerful lobbies in America and provide genuine relief.…”