Political Quotes

“Again, I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia for yielding, and I join her in calling on our colleagues to join us in this effort to preserve and protect the 340B program. I will share a success story that highlights how Members worked in a bipartisan way to solve a major issue within the 340B program. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some hospitals lost their 340B eligibility due to the influx of COVID-19 patients that overwhelmed some hospitals and diminished their ability to meet the requirements of the 340B program. Two of those hospitals were in my district in rural Tennessee. However, the gentlewoman from California, Representative Matsui, introduced H.R. 3203, which was designed to restore eligibility to hospitals that lost their 340B status due to the pandemic. I was proud to lend my name as a cosponsor to this bipartisan bill. I am happy to report that because of this bipartisan support and the leadership of Members like Representative Matsui, this issue was fixed in section 121 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022. Because of this bipartisan effort, I am pleased to report back that both hospitals in my district in Tennessee have since regained that 340B eligibility. Madam Speaker, I hope this story shows that Members are capable of protecting and strengthening the 340B program in a bipartisan way.”