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Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 108 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 108 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 149 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2003 No. 80 House of Representatives The House met at 10:30 a.m. very effective drug called money, and cannot afford the drugs that are avail- f they are using it to change the way able today. America thinks. Here in Washington In Ohio, as in other parts of the coun- MORNING HOUR DEBATES you see the drug companies’ money ev- try, seniors have grown tired of wait- The SPEAKER. Pursuant to the erywhere. They spend untold millions ing for the Federal Government to ad- order of the House of January 7, 2003, on high-priced inside-the-Beltway law- dress the high price of prescription the Chair will now recognize Members yers to tell the administration and drugs. They know they cannot count from lists submitted by the majority Congress that State initiatives to con- on President Bush, who receives mil- and minority leaders for morning hour trol drug costs violate the law by put- lions of drug company dollars. They debates. The Chair will alternate rec- ting Medicaid beneficiaries at risk. know they cannot count on the Repub- ognition between the parties, with each And they spend big money, really big lican leadership. The Ohio Coalition for party limited to not to exceed 30 min- money to sell this message to Congress Affordable Drugs wants to let the citi- utes, and each Member except the ma- and the White House. The drug compa- zens of Ohio decide for themselves; and jority leader, the minority leader or nies spent over $70 million lobbying PhRMA, the drug industry’s lobbying the minority whip limited to not to ex- House and Senate Members during the arm, is pulling out all the stops to ceed 5 minutes. last election cycle. They spent almost block their plan. The Chair recognizes the gentleman $90 million on political campaign ads. Millions of Ohioans would benefit from Ohio (Mr. BROWN) for 5 minutes. They know where their bread is but- from this plan. Savings are estimated as high as 50 percent. That is why f tered. They know who their friends are. PhRMA is working so hard to make Almost 90 percent of their campaign MONEY: THE PHARMACEUTICAL sure the proposal never makes it to the spending was on behalf of Republicans. INDUSTRY’S MIRACLE DRUG ballot in Ohio. PhRMA sued over the And they were especially generous to Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, language of the proposal. After that PhRMA, the lobbying shop for Amer- President Bush in his 2000 race and al- failed to stop the initiative, they chal- ica’s drug companies, has a problem- ready for his 2004 race. lenged petitions trying to get people’s And by any standard, the money that atical condition. It is suffering from signatures disqualified because they drug companies have spent on Repub- that most debilitating of special inter- had moved or because they have not est deficiencies: sickly message. licans is well spent. Rather than use its voted for a couple of years. PhRMA has to come in with a straight influence to bring down prices in the But the complete absence of a valid face and tell public officials: if you sup- United States, the Bush administra- argument has never slowed the drug in- port efforts to lower the cost of pre- tion, infused with all kinds of drug in- dustry’s friends down. No, PhRMA scription drugs, we will not have the dustry campaign dollars, is using its marches relentlessly on in its efforts to resources to develop the next genera- power to prevent Americans from pur- derail the Ohio prescription drug sav- tion of miracle medicines. chasing the same medicine in Canada ings issue. PhRMA plans to spend $16 Now, anyone who knows even a little for one-half, one-third, and one-fourth million, more than the total amount of about the drug industry knows that the price. The Medicare prescription money spent on the Governor’s race that argument does not hold water. We drug bill passed last year by the Repub- last year in Ohio. The drug industry know that with profit margins consist- lican-led House does nothing to curb plans to spend $16 million to keep the ently pushing 20 percent, the drug com- the ever-escalating price of drugs. In issue off the ballot; and if it gets on the panies are the most profitable industry fact, the Republican bill throws more ballot, millions of dollars to defeat it. in America for 20 years running. They money, more government dollars, more That is money they did not spend re- have the lowest tax rate in America. taxpayer funds at the drug companies. searching medical breakthroughs. It is Half of all the drugs developed in this For the 11⁄4 million people in my money they are not spending helping country, half of all the research and de- State of Ohio without health insur- families afford the latest generation in velopment for drugs in this country is ance, and for the tens of millions miracle drugs. done by taxpayers. But without a shot throughout this country, the problem No, the drug industry is spending in the arm, PhRMA, the drug indus- is not whether the giant multinational that $16 million to delay and to deny try’s lobbying arm, PhRMA’s case of drug companies will be able to afford to the citizens of Ohio an opportunity to anemic message might result in an develop another version of Viagra or exercise their right to vote on whether acute loss of profits. another ‘‘Me Too’’ drug. For working prescription drug prices should come Fortunately for the drug industry, it Ohio families and seniors struggling to down. PhRMA is not engaging in a de- has found a miracle cure of its own, a make ends meet, the problem is they bate or arguing against the merits of b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H4789 . VerDate Jan 31 2003 23:38 Jun 03, 2003 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A03JN7.000 H03PT1 H4790 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE June 3, 2003 the plan; they are smart enough to the Child Protection Act to prevent the law’s benefits. Let me repeat: 40 know a losing campaign when they see and punish sexual predation against times as many taxpayers who get no one. Instead, they are trying to get the our children. And the war budget to benefit from the cuts as there are mil- election called on a technicality. fund the liberation of Iraq and the re- lionaires who get 44 percent of the PhRMA, the drug industry, and the construction of its government. law’s benefits. Republicans are counting on PhRMA’s Mr. Speaker, this Congress is helping What can we say about a tax cut and money, the miracle pill that has this President produce results. And a fiscal policy which rewards the rich worked before, to make its problems go with every law we pass and he signs, we at the expense of the middle income? away. I do not know if that trusty rem- move another step closer to fulfilling What can we say about a tax cut which edy will work this time. There is a America’s promise and, just as impor- will force us to cut health care, edu- growing understanding in Ohio, and I tant, fulfilling our promise to America. cation, and homeland security? What think there is throughout the country, f can we say about a tax cut and fiscal that when push comes to shove the policy which deprives the government BAIT AND SWITCH drug industry’s priority is profit, not of revenue it needs to make the United patient safety. If the drug company’s The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- States a strong and vital Nation? real priority is patient safety, why are ant to the order of the House of Janu- The normally staid Financial Times they spending so much money to en- ary 7, 2003, the gentleman from New of Britain answered the question this sure that we cannot afford the medi- Mexico (Mr. UDALL) is recognized dur- way: the lunatics are now in charge of cine that so many of us need? ing morning hour debates for 5 min- the asylum. The lunatics are now in f utes. charge of the asylum. Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. f FULFILLING OUR PROMISE Speaker, what the gentleman from The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Texas (Mr. DELAY) does not say is that PRESCRIPTION DRUG PACKAGE SCHROCK). Pursuant to the order of the what this piece of legislation on the IMPORTANT FOR RURAL HEALTH House of January 7, 2003, the gen- floor today does is take away a wom- CARE tleman from Texas (Mr. DELAY) is rec- an’s right to choose, take away a wom- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- ognized during morning hour debates an’s right to reproductive freedom, and ant to the order of the House of Janu- for 5 minutes. it is part of a concerted effort on behalf ary 7, 2003, the gentlewoman from West Mr. DELAY. Mr. Speaker, this week, of the Republican Party to pack the Virginia (Mrs.
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