Lindsey Graham Busted Flip-Flopping on Bill to Lower Drug Costs for Seniors
Lindsey Graham and GOP -- High on Drug Company Campaign Cash - Shuts Down Debate Before it Could Even Begin on Bill to Allow Medicare to Negotiate Lower Rx Drugs Prices with the Pharmaceutical Industry...
...but Senator Graham was for it, before he was against it.
April 20, 2007 (Washington D.C.) - U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and his Republican Senate colleagues, high on big drug company campaign cash, shut down a major debate this week on meaningful legislation which would lower prescription drug prices for South Carolina seniors by allowing Medicare to negotiate with the pharmaceutical industry - just as the Veteran's Administration has done successfully for our nation's veterans for years. At the behest of the nation's drug lobby, Senator Graham helped lead a filibuster on a motion to proceed to a debate on S.3, the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007, despite his vote in favor of identical legislation just one year ago: http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/109/senate/2/votes/50/Senator Grahams' undeniable flip-flop comes on the heels of a new report released last week by the Institute for America's Future that shows South Carolina taxpayers could save $437 million annually if Medicare officials were allowed to negotiate lower drug prices with the big drug companies: http://cdncon.vo.llnwd.net/o2/fotf/medicare/states/SouthCarolina.pdf
"Senator Graham was for real legislation to lower prescription drugs prices for seniors -- before he was against it," said Jeremy Funk, spokesman for Americans United for Change. "Americans should be outraged that President Bush and Senate Republicans like Lindsey Graham are so dependent on drug company campaign cash that they would actually shut down a public debate before it could begin on legislation to allow the federal government to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices for our nation's seniors. Of course, this is the same GOP which came up with the costly, confusing and corrupt Part D prescription drug plan in the first place - a plan written by and for the big drug companies - a plan designed to put profits first and seniors last. Lindsey Graham ought to seek out some help for his crippling addiction to PhRMA cash -- it's really affecting his work on behalf on South Carolina seniors."
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