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Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., speaks during the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force news conference on the release of the 2018 legislative agenda for the 115th Congress on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018. (Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
On Wednesday, Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY) was one of three Democrats who cast a pivotal no vote in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Rice shamefully voted against giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices as part of the $3.5 trillion Build Back Better package.
Despite the setback, we're going to win. We're going to give Medicare negotiating power to lower drug prices for everyone. And Pharma is scared.
It's hard to find a policy more popular with voters across the spectrum than taking on Pharma greed and lowering drug prices.
Pharma is so scared that they've launched a massive campaign against giving Medicare negotiating power. Pharma's lobbying frenzy includes multi-million dollar TV ad buys and spending over $6 million from April to June of this year on lobbying (a 19% increase during the same time last year).
Any politician who listens to Pharma and puts profits over people's lives deserves to wear that shame forever. That's why we have a mobile billboard in Rice's Long Island district to let her constituents know she betrayed them. Clearly, Rice needs a reminder that she works for the people of New York's fourth Congressional district, not Pharma.
It will come as no surprise that Rice (along with the other no voters Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) and Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR)) is in the pockets of Pharma. Rice has received $84,259 from campaign contributions from pharmaceutical and health corporations during her congressional career. And Peters and Schrader have collectively taken an appalling $1.7 million from Pharma during their time in Congress.

Rice's betrayal may come as a surprise to her constituents because Rice campaigned for years on taking on Pharma's greed. And that's why Rice is the perfect example of everything wrong with status quo corporate politicians.
Rice claimed to support the lowering of prescription drugs. In an October 2020 campaign ad, Rice promised to "always put the health and safety of Long Island first."
Not to mention, an overwhelming 90 percent of Rice's constituents support giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices. It's hard to find a policy more popular with voters across the spectrum than taking on Pharma greed and lowering drug prices.
But when given the chance to make good on that promise, and represent the interests of 90% of her constituents, Rice still sided with Pharma and betrayed the people she works for.
But that's exactly why we're going to continue to fight for--and win--lower drug prices. We're going to win because the American people--and the vast majority of the Democratic caucus and President Biden--are on our side. We have the people, and we also have some big guns on our side spending money, AARP just dropped $4 million on an ad buy pushing for Medicare negotiation.
That is why carrying water for Pharma is not only a moral failure, it is also a political failure. Any politician who puts Pharma profits before the needs of their constituents will lose their jobs. And they will deserve it.
Pharma shills simply aren't fit to represent the people of their districts.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
On Wednesday, Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY) was one of three Democrats who cast a pivotal no vote in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Rice shamefully voted against giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices as part of the $3.5 trillion Build Back Better package.
Despite the setback, we're going to win. We're going to give Medicare negotiating power to lower drug prices for everyone. And Pharma is scared.
It's hard to find a policy more popular with voters across the spectrum than taking on Pharma greed and lowering drug prices.
Pharma is so scared that they've launched a massive campaign against giving Medicare negotiating power. Pharma's lobbying frenzy includes multi-million dollar TV ad buys and spending over $6 million from April to June of this year on lobbying (a 19% increase during the same time last year).
Any politician who listens to Pharma and puts profits over people's lives deserves to wear that shame forever. That's why we have a mobile billboard in Rice's Long Island district to let her constituents know she betrayed them. Clearly, Rice needs a reminder that she works for the people of New York's fourth Congressional district, not Pharma.
It will come as no surprise that Rice (along with the other no voters Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) and Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR)) is in the pockets of Pharma. Rice has received $84,259 from campaign contributions from pharmaceutical and health corporations during her congressional career. And Peters and Schrader have collectively taken an appalling $1.7 million from Pharma during their time in Congress.

Rice's betrayal may come as a surprise to her constituents because Rice campaigned for years on taking on Pharma's greed. And that's why Rice is the perfect example of everything wrong with status quo corporate politicians.
Rice claimed to support the lowering of prescription drugs. In an October 2020 campaign ad, Rice promised to "always put the health and safety of Long Island first."
Not to mention, an overwhelming 90 percent of Rice's constituents support giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices. It's hard to find a policy more popular with voters across the spectrum than taking on Pharma greed and lowering drug prices.
But when given the chance to make good on that promise, and represent the interests of 90% of her constituents, Rice still sided with Pharma and betrayed the people she works for.
But that's exactly why we're going to continue to fight for--and win--lower drug prices. We're going to win because the American people--and the vast majority of the Democratic caucus and President Biden--are on our side. We have the people, and we also have some big guns on our side spending money, AARP just dropped $4 million on an ad buy pushing for Medicare negotiation.
That is why carrying water for Pharma is not only a moral failure, it is also a political failure. Any politician who puts Pharma profits before the needs of their constituents will lose their jobs. And they will deserve it.
Pharma shills simply aren't fit to represent the people of their districts.
On Wednesday, Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY) was one of three Democrats who cast a pivotal no vote in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Rice shamefully voted against giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices as part of the $3.5 trillion Build Back Better package.
Despite the setback, we're going to win. We're going to give Medicare negotiating power to lower drug prices for everyone. And Pharma is scared.
It's hard to find a policy more popular with voters across the spectrum than taking on Pharma greed and lowering drug prices.
Pharma is so scared that they've launched a massive campaign against giving Medicare negotiating power. Pharma's lobbying frenzy includes multi-million dollar TV ad buys and spending over $6 million from April to June of this year on lobbying (a 19% increase during the same time last year).
Any politician who listens to Pharma and puts profits over people's lives deserves to wear that shame forever. That's why we have a mobile billboard in Rice's Long Island district to let her constituents know she betrayed them. Clearly, Rice needs a reminder that she works for the people of New York's fourth Congressional district, not Pharma.
It will come as no surprise that Rice (along with the other no voters Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) and Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR)) is in the pockets of Pharma. Rice has received $84,259 from campaign contributions from pharmaceutical and health corporations during her congressional career. And Peters and Schrader have collectively taken an appalling $1.7 million from Pharma during their time in Congress.

Rice's betrayal may come as a surprise to her constituents because Rice campaigned for years on taking on Pharma's greed. And that's why Rice is the perfect example of everything wrong with status quo corporate politicians.
Rice claimed to support the lowering of prescription drugs. In an October 2020 campaign ad, Rice promised to "always put the health and safety of Long Island first."
Not to mention, an overwhelming 90 percent of Rice's constituents support giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices. It's hard to find a policy more popular with voters across the spectrum than taking on Pharma greed and lowering drug prices.
But when given the chance to make good on that promise, and represent the interests of 90% of her constituents, Rice still sided with Pharma and betrayed the people she works for.
But that's exactly why we're going to continue to fight for--and win--lower drug prices. We're going to win because the American people--and the vast majority of the Democratic caucus and President Biden--are on our side. We have the people, and we also have some big guns on our side spending money, AARP just dropped $4 million on an ad buy pushing for Medicare negotiation.
That is why carrying water for Pharma is not only a moral failure, it is also a political failure. Any politician who puts Pharma profits before the needs of their constituents will lose their jobs. And they will deserve it.
Pharma shills simply aren't fit to represent the people of their districts.