Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. In the early days of my medical practice in the 1980s, I would sit around with other doctors and kvetch that there were treatments available in Europe that were not available in the United States. But Congress acted and enacted the prescription drug user fee agreements in 1992, sped up the regulatory process, and broke the regulatory bottleneck. The drug approval process over the past four decades has significantly improved to the point that American doctors now have more tools at their disposal to alleviate human suffering than at any time in the Nation's past. The President weighed in right around Thanksgiving with what he thought would be the correct path forward. Indeed, in the Rules Committee last night, we received the Statement of Administration Policy from the President that said he would veto H.R. 3 if presented in its current form. But he goes on to say that H.R. 19 is a far better approach to lowering drug prices and discovering lifesaving cures. The President believes there is a path forward. The administration remains committed to working with both parties to pass legislation. What H.R. 3 represents to me is a lost opportunity. It was an opportunity to work together. The President wanted to work together. But it is a lost opportunity to bring down drug costs for American patients. We can vote against H.R. 3. We can support the amendment in the nature of a substitute. H.R. 19 could become law this year, in 2019.”