Political Quotes

Marilyn Strickland: “But this bill was written by and for the pharmaceutical companies. Do the Members want an example of why I say that? A…”

On the recordNovember 21, 2003
But this bill was written by and for the pharmaceutical companies. Do the Members want an example of why I say that? A few days ago the Blue Dogs met with our Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mr. Tommy Thompson, and two Democratic Senators were there, Senator Breaux and Senator Baucus. And in that meeting, a question was asked: Why is there a prohibition against the Secretary from negotiating discounted costs for America's senior citizens? And Senator Baucus said it is in there because PhRMA insisted that it be in there. Shame, shame, shame on you.
Said by
Marilyn Strickland
Democratic · Washington

Editor's note · Context

Criticizing a bill related to pharmaceutical companies during a House floor debate.

Share

More from Marilyn Strickland

Jul 8, 2026

You may know our time through records and history books, but I hope you remember that we were ordinary people as well. Our system is imperfect, but it rests on a simple and powerful idea: that people can govern themselves, debate their…

washingtonstatestandard.com
Sep 26, 2023

But I think solving the problem means coming up with a dollar amount and not being afraid to say it is a lot of money.

congress.gov
Jun 5, 2026

I ask you one more time: Who are we as a nation? And more importantly, who are you?

rollcall.com
Jan 30, 2024

Previous NDAA bills have authorized service secretaries to grant waivers to families applying for the Basic Needs Allowance who otherwise would not be eligible based on the inclusion of the BAH.

congress.gov

Other voices in this conversation