Ted Cruz

I was among the first Members of Congress to call for grounding the 737 MAX.

I think this is an agency that is incredibly important. It is literally entrusted with protecting our lives and the lives of our children and the Biden Administration needs a Senate-confirmed Administrator of the FAA.

346 people were killed in two horrific crashes because Boeing and the FAA took their eye off the ball when it came to certification of the 737 MAX.

Do you think Phil Washington could come anywhere close to Acting Administrator Nolen's expertise and knowledge? I think the honest answer would have to be no.

Aviation safety isn't static and it's not something we can take for granted.

The Chairwoman and I are working together on an FAA reauthorization which will provide an important opportunity to make further safety reforms that may be necessary.

I was among the first Members of Congress to call for grounding the 737 MAX.

So your testimony is this bill benefits Big Pharma and allows them to make more money. Is that right?

So if you are correct that this bill would hurt patients by driving up costs, typically when one group is being hurt in the economy, somebody else is doing better.

Explain what you believe would be the negative consequences of this bill for a consumer at home that wants high-quality healthcare, high-quality pharmaceuticals at an affordable price.

If this bill was enacted into law, based on your economic analysis, how would it impact drug prices for the average American?

No one wants higher drug prices, and I think we need to look for creative solutions to lower them.

With every legislative solution, we got to consider the tradeoffs, especially when our solution is to grant additional authority to a government agency.

Much like everything in healthcare, the cost of drugs historically has risen faster than overall inflation.

So your testimony is this bill benefits Big Pharma and allows them to make more money. Is that right?

If this bill was enacted into law, based on your economic analysis, how would it impact drug prices for the average American?

Explain what you believe would be the negative consequences of this bill for a consumer at home that wants high-quality healthcare, high-quality pharmaceuticals at an affordable price.

So if you are correct that this bill would hurt patients by driving up costs, typically when one group is being hurt in the economy, somebody else is doing better.

No one wants higher drug prices, and I think we need to look for creative solutions to lower them.

With every legislative solution, we got to consider the tradeoffs, especially when our solution is to grant additional authority to a government agency.

Of course, the relationship between insurers, PBMs, drug companies, and others are complex, opaque, and confusing both to consumers and to providers.

Thus, much of the higher spending on pharmaceuticals is baked into insurance premiums.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you to each of the witnesses. Welcome, Senator Grassley.

Much like everything in healthcare, the cost of drugs historically has risen faster than overall inflation.

This Administration made a conscious political decision to open the borders and one of the results is they have turned Mexican drug cartels into multi-billionaires.