Sen. Dorgan faces powerful opponent on drug reimportation

[cal04]

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/100685-dorgan-faces-powerful-opponent-on-drug-price-provision

Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) faces a powerful opponent if he brings up drug reimportation as an amendment to the food safety bill.

Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), the House sponsor of the food safety bill, told The Hill that he’s dead-set against the amendment, which he claims could derail the whole food safety effort.

(snip)
Dorgan tells The Hill the food safety bill is probably his last, best chance to get the drug provision passed before he retires from Congress at the end of this session.

The measure has broad support in both chambers – it got 51 votes in the Senate last year, including 23 Republicans - and Dorgan said he would ask the White House to support the measure when the food bill hits the Senate floor.

Powerful people may oppose the measure, Dorgan acknowledged, but “there are a couple of powerful reasons to do it,” including the fact that it would make life-saving drugs more affordable and would save the federal government $100 billion over 10 years according to the Congressional Budget Office.

[msongs]

1. john dingell needs to retire ASAP nt

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

2. The White House will lobby against exactly like they did when he tried to make a part of HCR

It violates their back room deal with Pharma.

Dorgan had the votes to bring it to the floor but they not so mysteriously evaporated when it came for the vote. Sheldon Whitehouse spilled the beans that it was the White House that lobbyed against it.

Why would this be any different?

for those who ask for a link - google Dorgan drug re-importation White House and Huffington. I posted it tens of times during the HCR debate. Just tired of doing it, frankly.

[Nite Owl]

4. I remember that incident

it was definitely going to pass until the WH made it known that they needed to keep their deal with Big Pharma. It was them over us and the votes evaporated once the dems got a talkin' to.

[The Northerner]

3. Isn't Dingell on our side? He did vote for the HCR bill after all