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This story is from Kaiser Health News.
According to a new KHN analysis, three of the legislators who will lead the House next year as Congress focuses on soaring drug costs are among the largest recipients of contributions from the pharmaceutical industry in the countryside.
On Wednesday, House Democrats chose Maryland's Representative Steny Hoyer as the next Majority Leader and South Carolina's James Clyburn as Majority Whip, making these MPs the most powerful of Democrats # 2 and # 3. the party regains control of the House in January
Both lawmakers have received more than a million dollars from political action committees of pharmaceutical companies over the past decade. Only four members of Congress hold this distinction, including California representative Kevin McCarthy, whom Republicans have chosen as the next minority leader in the House earlier this month.
By adding Representative Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat should be the next speaker, The KHN database has raised more than $ 2.3 million in campaign contributions from drug manufacturers since election cycle 2007-08, according to the KHN database.
High drug prices have emerged as a major problem in 2018. With nearly half Among Americans who said they were worried about the cost of prescription drugs last summer, many Democrats told voters that They would tackle the problem at the next Congress. But the large sums going to the main Democrats and Republicans raise questions as to whether Congress will attack the pharmaceutical industry.
Over the last decade, congressmen from both parties have received about $ 81 million from 68 PAC pharmacies run by employees of companies that manufacture drugs and industry groups.
Brendan Fischer, who leads federal reform programs in the non-partisan Campaign Legal Center, said drug makers, like other wealthy industries, "are disappointing with money" to Congressional leaders who are considering
"Democrats and Republicans have discussed the need to act on the price of prescription drugs, and pharmaceutical companies are likely expecting large contributions to help them keep access to powerful lawmakers and influence them, "he said. 19659007] McCarthy, who has close ties to President Donald Trump, has received more than $ 1.08 million from drug manufacturers since 2007. Agreement Referring to the latest data, which ends in September, he has received approximately $ 250,000 for this election cycle.
The fourth legislator to surpass the million dollars is Senator Richard Burr, Republican of North Carolina, who sits on both the Senate Committee on Health and Education. , Labor and Pensions and the Senate Committee on Finance. North Carolina is also home to a number of research universities and drug manufacturers headquarters.
While campaign contributions may seem tempting as a metric of influence, industries do not necessarily buy votes with their money. More likely, they buy access – a major donation from a drug manufacturer's CAP can increase the chances of its lobbyists meeting an influential legislator, for example.
Clyburn, who, like Hoyer, is one of the leading Democratic leaders since 2007, In the past decade, the drug manufacturers' CAP has received more than any other Congressman – more than 1, $ 9 million. During the electoral cycle of 2018, he received at least $ 170,000, while he dominated his Republican opponent in his Democratic district safely.
Party leader and African American senior in Congress, Clyburn had ties with the pharmaceutical industry since the beginning of the month. years. In 2013, he was one of the guest speakers at a conference hosted by PhRMA, the industry's leading professional group. The conference was held at the James E. Clyburn Research Center at the South Carolina Medical University, a hub of biopharmaceutical research.
This fall, Hoyer crossed the milestone of millions of dollars in CAP drug manufacturers' contributions over the past decade. more than $ 1.02 million since 2007 and more than $ 128,000 for this election cycle.
Hoyer's positions on legislation are based on what is in the best interests of his constituents and the American people. He made it clear that the new Congress would tackle rising health care costs and prescription drugs, "said Mariel Saez, spokesman for Hoyer. 19659003] The offices of Clyburn, McCarthy and Pelosi did not respond to requests for comment.
Unlike his assistants, Pelosi has received nearly $ 193,000 from drug manufacturers PACs over the past decade. In the month leading up to the mid-term elections, she stepped up her calls for action to control the price of drugs, asserting polling day that she thought Democrats could find a "pitch." agree with Trump to tackle the problem.
Senior members of the committee also tend to attract attention. huge sums of the industries they oversee. New Jersey Democrat Frank Pallone, who is expected to chair the House of Commons Energy and Trade Committee, has received nearly $ 169,000 from the PAC drug manufacturers election cycle, according to the KHN database. Since 2007, he has raised more than $ 840,000.
Similarly, Greg Walden, Republican of Oregon who is completing his term as chair of the committee, received $ 302,300, the highest amount of all members of this election cycle in contributions from PAC drug manufacturers.
On the other hand, Elijah Cummings, the Democrat of Maryland, who is expected to chair the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee, received a minimum of money for drug manufacturers, receiving only 18 $ 500 since the 2007-2008 election cycle. He made it clear that he intended to target pharmaceutical companies next year as part of his investigation into rising drug costs.
Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy information service. It is an independent editorial program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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