On Thursday, August 4, Sen. Chuck Grassley received his marching orders from the pharmaceutical industry: put the needs of his donors over reduced prescription drug costs for Iowans.
The prescription drug lobbying group PhRMA sent a letter to Grassley and his fellow Senators demanding they vote against the Inflation Reduction Act, which allows Medicare to negotiate with the drug companies for lower prices.
In 2003, Sen. Grassley wrote the bill that originally banned Medicare from negotiating with drug companies for lower prices for Iowa seniors. Now funded by nearly $1.4 million in contributions from the prescription drug industry, Grassley’s special interest donors are making sure he’s still a vote to defend their profits – even if it means Iowans have to pay higher prices.
“Sen. Grassley has an opportunity to cast a vote for a bill that will fight inflation, reduce the deficit, and cut healthcare and prescription drug costs. But instead, he’s taking his orders from his prescription drug industry donors that he really works for,” said Franken for Iowa campaign manager Julie Stauch. “After 47 years in Washington, Sen. Grassley is completely out of touch with the needs of working Iowans, and instead the only people who have his ear are the special interest lobbyists with him in Washington. If Sen. Grassley puts drug industry profits first and votes against this bill to help Iowans, it will be just the latest example that it’s long past time for new leadership that hasn’t forgotten the people they represent.”A vote against the Inflation Reduction Act would be just the latest example of Sen. Grassley failing to reduce prescription drug prices. Just a few months ago, Senator Grassley admitted that efforts to cut drug costs would be off the table if he and Sen. Mitch McConnell are in charge of the next Senate, saying, “I think you suggested the difficulty of passing something like in a Republican Congress, so you got an opportunity to do it right now, when Democrats and Republicans can work together to accomplish this. If we want to reduce drug prices, then we need to do it now.”
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