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Presented by Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance
Big Pharma hikes up drug prices every year, most recently on over 800 prescription drugs. But did you know these price hikes are often unjustified? For too long, Big Pharma has profited on the backs of hardworking Americans. Enough is enough.
![]() PRESENTED BY![]() BY JOHN BRESNAHAN, ANNA PALMER AND JAKE SHERMAN THE TOP![]() Happy Friday. President Joe Biden’s first anniversary in office got a lot of press on Thursday. But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also celebrated his first year atop the “World’s Greatest Deliberative Body” too. And like Biden, the reviews for Schumer are mixed – he’s had some very solid accomplishments, yet also some tough, even baffling, losses. The last two months, in particular, haven’t been kind to the New York Democrat. Let’s break it down. Schumer became majority leader a year ago under some extraordinary circumstances, of course – the Covid pandemic and the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection by supporters of former President Donald Trump. Thousands of National Guard troops were stationed inside the Capitol, and security fences ringed the grounds. A U.S. Capitol Police officer was later killed in a horrifying attack at the Senate security gate. On top of the extraordinary security situation, Schumer has had to deal with a 50-50 Senate longer than any leader in history. So every analysis of Schumer’s performance has to factor that in when assessing how he’s done. Schumer was able to hash out a power-sharing agreement with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and then steered the Senate through Trump’s second impeachment trial. Passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan was a major win, for Schumer, Biden and the whole party. Clearing Biden’s Cabinet-level nominees was handled very effectively. Other Schumer victories include passage of an anti-Asian hate bill; a huge China competition package, although this legislation is still hung up in a clash with the House; a successful showdown with McConnell over raising the debt limit; and the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal. Schumer didn’t broker that agreement, but it couldn’t have happened without his direct involvement, encouragement and backing. He also got it through the floor in one piece. On judges, Schumer and Biden have pushed through a total of 42 nominees during the last year, the fastest pace since Ronald Reagan. This includes 13 circuit court judges, a particular achievement since those nominations can feature up to 30 hours of debate. Schumer does this all in his own inimitable style, which involves constantly speaking with as many of his colleagues as humanly possible during any 24-hour period. No Democrat can complain they never talk to the majority leader. In fact, some joke that they talk to him too much. But there have been major setbacks as well. Gun control – an issue Schumer has cared about for decades – hasn’t gone anywhere. Immigration reform, another party priority, is stalled and was left out of the Build Back Better Act due to parliamentary problems. There’s been no minimum wage increase, an issue that’s even more acute now due to soaring inflation. Voting rights, which the Senate just spent two weeks on, was blocked by Republicans. This can’t all be blamed on Schumer. These are hugely controversial issues that have stumped Senate Democratic leaders – and presidents – for years, even decades. But they’re pillars of the Democratic Party’s policy agenda. And they’re left undone. Schumer also set himself up for a letdown on this front by his constant calls for “big, bold action” on a very progressive agenda. Schumer and his aides would argue this was needed to push his Democratic colleagues to get major bills done. It blows back on him when it doesn’t happen, however. Now let’s talk about Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), and how Schumer has dealt with them. In a 50-50 Senate, every senator sees themselves as president, as Biden is fond of saying. But Schumer’s relationship with this moderate pair – and Manchin in particular – has deteriorated badly. Democrats have had to pay a price for this. We won’t get into all the back-and-forth between Schumer and Manchin over Build Back Better. However, Manchin’s secret $1.5 trillion proposal to Schumer back on July 28, not publicly revealed until this Sept. 30 story by our friend Burgess Everett of Politico, still surprises us. The fact that Schumer signed a proposal from Manchin and didn’t disclose it to Speaker Nancy Pelosi was another shocker. In the end, Manchin blew up the BBB negotiations last month, and Senate Democrats haven’t figured out how to deal with the situation, leaving their biggest agenda item in tatters. And as our friend Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post notes in this Schumer profile, Manchin and Sinema warned for months, in public and private, that they’d never change their positions on the filibuster, especially on eliminating the 60-vote threshold for cutting off debate. Schumer pressed ahead with that fight anyway, despite the likelihood of defeat, as part of the broader voting rights battle. To Schumer, voting rights is an existential issue for the party. He believes Democratic leaders must do everything they can on this, even if they fail. Otherwise, how can they ask party activists to go out and work for them at election time? Besides Politico and the Washington Post, Schumer made similar if not identical versions of this argument to the New York Times, AP and NPR this week. Schumer also insists that getting 48 Democrats to agree to scale back the filibuster is a real achievement and should be celebrated in itself. We agree that was a noteworthy feat by both him and party activists. But almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. The New York Democrat, however, deliberately exposed Manchin and Sinema to a tidal wave of public recrimination over the filibuster vote. We’re not sure we’ve ever seen a party leader do that to their own colleagues. Democratic senators now are openly discussing primarying the two of them in 2024. Schumer isn’t tamping down that talk publicly. In fact, Schumer seemed to encourage it when he declined to weigh in on an intraparty challenge earlier this week. Schumer needs their votes the rest of this year. So how will that work out? We’re not going to give Schumer a grade of any sort. No doubt, the Senate got some big things done under his leadership: infrastructure and a giant Covid relief bill, most notably. But Schumer set expectations sky high for what the Senate could do. And based on his own goals, Schumer hasn’t gotten there. More will be revealed in the coming weeks and months. PRESENTED BY PHRMA Did you know more than half of every dollar spent on medicines goes to someone who doesn’t make them? There’s a long line of middlemen, like PBMs and insurers, collecting a significant portion of what you pay for medicine. The share of total spending for brand medicines received by the supply chain and other stakeholders increased from 33% in 2013 to 50.5% in 2020. Learn more. NEWS Senators set to meet Monday on election reform ![]() The Sen. Susan Collins-led bipartisan group of senators exploring reforms to the 1887 Electoral Count Act is holding a Zoom meeting on Monday as they continue to inch toward an agreement. Staff met Wednesday to talk about whether and where agreement exists on modest voting reform measures. As a reminder, they are discussing reworking ECA – the vice president’s role and how many lawmakers are required to object to a state’s election results. Other provisions under discussion include instituting measures to protect election workers and renewing election grants. Beyond Collins (R-Maine), the senators publicly involved at this point include Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). But sources tell us that there are more than a dozen senators who are taking part in the talks. Why the White House might want to get on board: It’s clear to most lawmakers on the Hill, as well as party activists, that a large-scale voting reform package is dead. So if you’re the White House, you have two choices: deciding to keep betting on a losing horse, or jump on one that can win. It’s that simple. That’s not to say the Democrats’ voting rights bill isn’t important – Democrats clearly feel strongly that it is. And the Democratic leadership clearly feel as if this effort isn’t as comprehensive as they’d like. But the GOP isn’t going to give in on voting rights. And with Manchin and Sinema unshaken in their opposition to changing the filibuster, this is the only proposal that could pass. And this is the same group of senators that did the $1 trillion infrastructure deal, so they’ve shown they can get something done. ![]() → News: Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the leading GOP candidate for governor of Arkansas, is backing Dave McCormick in the Pennsylvania Senate race. McCormick, a hedge fund executive and U.S. Army combat veteran, recently jumped into the Republican primary to replace retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey. This is a hugely important race in the battle for control of the Senate this November. Here’s a statement from Sanders: “Dave is a battle-tested, Pennsylvania true combat veteran that will always fight for America First. He will restore President Trump’s policies of being tough on China and securing our border, which is why I proudly support my friend Dave McCormick and look forward to seeing him in the U.S. Senate.” Barring some unforeseen development, Sanders will likely be the next governor of Arkansas and she is tied into Trump world, so this is a big endorsement for McCormick. McCormick is facing off against Mehmet Oz, former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands and several other candidates to be the GOP nominee for this Keystone State race. → Look at this ad on a bus stop outside the Washington Convention Center. ![]() → Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) is up on Newsmax and OANN in support of his Senate bid. Long, a six-term House member, says he was one of Donald Trump’s earliest supporters. Long blames President Joe Biden “and the far left crazies” for letting inflation get out of control. Long also says he’s trying to stop the “wokeness.” Thanks to AdImpact for this spot. → Democratic Oregon Rep. Kurt Schrader raised $427,487 last quarter and has $3.5 million on hand. Schrader is a moderate Democrat seeking an eighth term in the House. PRESENTED BY PHRMA According to a new report, more than half of every dollar spent on brand medicines goes to someone who doesn’t make them. FRONTS ![]() ![]() MOMENTS 8 a.m.: President Joe Biden will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. 9:30 a.m.: Biden will get his intelligence briefing. 11 a.m.: Biden will speak about semiconductors. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will also speak. 1:50 p.m.: Biden will speak to the U.S. Conference of Mayors at the Capital Hilton. 4 p.m.: Biden will leave the White House for Camp David. CLIP FILE ABC → “FBI raid on House Democrat’s home related to Azerbaijan probe, source says,” by Mike Levine NYT → “Republicans Want New Tool in Elusive Search for Voter Fraud: Election Police,” by Michael Wines → “‘I Will Not Sit Quietly’: 3 Black Senators in Spotlight on Voting Rights,” by Jonathan Weisman and Annie Karni → “With Broad Safety Net Bill Stalled, Democrats Weigh What to Salvage,” by Emily Cochrane → News Analysis: “Biden the Negotiator Confronts the Cold Reality of Capitol Hill Gridlock,” by Michael Shear, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Katie Rogers WaPo → “Democrats scramble to resurrect ‘chunks’ of $2 trillion spending plan backed by Biden,” by Tony Romm → “Biden’s Ukraine comments prompt uproar at home and abroad,” by Tyler Pager and Paul Sonne WSJ → “Wall Street Titans Support One of Their Own, David McCormick, in Senate Bid,” by Lizz Hoffman AP → “Top US, Russian diplomats meet with Ukraine future on brink,” by Matthew Lee and Jamey Keaten in Geneva LAT → “California kids 12 and older could receive COVID-19 vaccine without parent’s OK,” by Melody Guttierez PRESENTED BY PHRMA Did you know that PBMs, hospitals, the government, insurers, and others received a larger share of total spending on medicines than biopharmaceutical companies? That’s right, more than half of spending on brand medicines goes to someone who doesn’t make them. Let’s fix the system the right way and ensure more of the savings go to patients, not middlemen. Read the new report. ![]() Enjoying Punchbowl News AM? ![]() Subscribe 10 friends with your unique link (below) and get a Punchbowl News hat! Your referral link is: Or share via You currently have: 0 referrals
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Presented by Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance
Americans know who to blame for rising drug prices: Big Pharma. A majority of Republicans, Democrats, & Independents all believe Big Pharma’s focus on profits keeps drug prices high. Let’s hold Big Pharma accountable – it’s an issue we’re united on.