Dems Voting No on Prescription Drug Imports Receive 70% More Pharma Money
BERKELEY, Calif. - December 16 - On Tuesday, December 15, the U.S. Senate voted against the importation of prescription drugs, 51-48. Offered by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) as an amendment to the health care reform bill, the provision would pave the way for market access to cheaper prescription drugs, by relaxing restrictions on imports from Canada and other highly-developed countries.
In a bipartisan effort rarely seen in recent votes on health care reform, 30 Democrats sided with 17 Republicans and one Independent to kill the bill.
MAPLight.org found that Senate Democrats who voted to block imports, siding with drug companies, received an average of $73,729 each from drug companies over the past six years-70% more than Democrats who voted in favor of imports.
Among all Senators, those voting to block imports received an average of $85,812 each from drug companies, 66% more than those who voted in favor of imports.
All Democrats (and Independents) Average to Yes votes (allow imports): $43,446 Average to No votes (block imports): $73,729
All Senators Average to Yes votes (allow imports): $51,803 Average to No votes (block imports): $85,812
The pharmaceutical manufacturing industry is opposed to drug importation, claiming the risks of counterfeit medicines and sub-standard regulations could cause undue harm to consumers. Senator Dorgan and 12 co-sponsors argue in the text of this bill that "a prescription drug is neither safe nor effective to an individual who cannot afford it." Dorgan estimates that the bill would save American consumers $100 billion over ten years.
Previous MAPLight.org research has also shown alignment of pharma campaign money and votes in Congress. On a Medicare-related vote in September, Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee who voted in favor of pharma interests received 4.2 times more campaign money from pharma interests than Dems who voted against pharma interests. And in May 2007, the Senate voted to kill a similar effort to allow prescription drug imports. Senators who voted in favor of pharma interests received three times more campaign money from pharma interests-$100,000 each over six years-than Senators who voted against them.
Note: Averages for yesterday's vote exclude Senator Byrd, who did not vote, and recently elected or appointed Senators Roland Burris, Paul Kirk, Herbert Kohl, and George LeMieux, for whom campaign finance records are not yet available.
Campaign Contributions to Senators from Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Interests, January 1, 2003 - August 12, 2009
Senator Party
State
Amount from pharma interests
Vote on allowing imports
Akaka, Daniel
D
HI
$4,000
No
Alexander, Lamar
R
TN
$108,950
Yes
Barrasso, John
R
WY
$55,500
No
Baucus, Max
D
MT
$261,020
No
Bayh, Evan
D
IN
$144,072
No
Begich, Mark
D
AK
$7,500
Yes
Bennet, Michael
D
CO
$10,750
Yes
Bennett, Robert
R
UT
$124,000
No
Bingaman, Jeff
D
NM
$48,500
Yes
Bond, Christopher
R
MO
$99,003
Yes
Boxer, Barbara
D
CA
$35,900
Yes
Brown, Sherrod
D
OH
$17,300
Yes
Brownback, Samuel
R
KS
$28,250
No
Bunning, Jim
R
KY
$64,250
No
Burr, Richard
R
NC
$301,898
No
Burris, Roland
D
IL
$0
No
Byrd, Robert
D
WV
$32,100
Not voting
Cantwell, Maria
D
WA
$22,400
No
Cardin, Benjamin
D
MD
$40,850
No
Carper, Thomas
D
DE
$135,700
No
Casey, Robert
D
PA
$34,750
No
Chambliss, Saxby
R
GA
$83,949
No
Coburn, Thomas
R
OK
$44,051
Yes
Cochran, Thad
R
MS
$69,000
No
Collins, Susan
R
ME
$70,500
Yes
Conrad, Kent
D
ND
$83,000
Yes
Corker, Bob
R
TN
$65,200
Yes
Cornyn, John
R
TX
$119,700
Yes
Crapo, Michael
R
ID
$64,580
Yes
DeMint, Jim
R
SC
$40,000
Yes
Dodd, Christopher
D
CT
$174,525
No
Dorgan, Byron
D
ND
$12,500
Yes
Durbin, Richard
D
IL
$28,600
No
Ensign, John
R
NV
$89,950
No
Enzi, Michael
R
WY
$146,500
No
Feingold, Russell
D
WI
$6,200
Yes
Feinstein, Dianne
D
CA
$39,500
Yes
Franken, Al
D
MN
$2,500
Yes
Gillibrand, Kirsten
D
NY
$44,400
No
Graham, Lindsey
R
SC
$55,250
Yes
Grassley, Charles
R
IA
$103,700
Yes
Gregg, Judd
R
NH
$122,500
No
Hagan, Kay
D
NC
$4,650
No
Harkin, Thomas
D
IA
$81,800
Yes
Hatch, Orrin
R
UT
$262,950
No
Hutchison, Kay
R
TX
$29,250
Yes
Inhofe, James
R
OK
$20,250
No
Inouye, Daniel
D
HI
$200
No
Isakson, John
R
GA
$126,599
No
Johanns, Mike
R
NE
$43,100
Yes
Johnson, Tim
D
SD
($1,500)
Yes
Kaufman, Edward
D
DE
$1,500
No
Kerry, John
D
MA
$21,170
No
Kirk, Paul
D
MA
$0
No
Klobuchar, Amy
D
MN
$2,290
Yes
Kohl, Herbert
D
WI
$0
Yes
Kyl, Jon
R
AZ
$117,350
No
Landrieu, Mary
D
LA
$89,550
No
Lautenberg, Frank
D
NJ
$97,550
No
Leahy, Patrick
D
VT
$46,600
Yes
LeMieux, George
R
FL
$0
Yes
Levin, Carl
D
MI
$1,000
No
Lieberman, Joseph
I
CT
$199,540
No
Lincoln, Blanche
D
AR
$100,750
Yes
Lugar, Richard
R
IN
$51,850
No
McCain, John
R
AZ
$7,000
Yes
McCaskill, Claire
D
MO
$6,050
Yes
McConnell, Mitch
R
KY
$225,900
Yes
Menéndez, Robert
D
NJ
$196,452
No
Merkley, Jeff
D
OR
$18,500
Yes
Mikulski, Barbara
D
MD
$70,995
No
Murkowski, Lisa
R
AK
$63,050
Yes
Murray, Patty
D
WA
$144,400
No
Nelson, Ben
D
NE
$138,098
Yes
Nelson, Bill
D
FL
$38,600
Yes
Pryor, Mark
D
AR
$31,000
Yes
Reed, John
D
RI
$34,100
No
Reid, Harry
D
NV
$74,800
No
Risch, James
R
ID
$22,100
Yes
Roberts, Pat
R
KS
$80,650
No
Rockefeller, John
D
WV
$44,000
No
Sanders, Bernard
I
VT
$420
Yes
Schumer, Charles
D
NY
$54,900
No
Sessions, Jefferson
R
AL
$45,000
Yes
Shaheen, Jeanne
D
NH
$2,250
Yes
Shelby, Richard
R
AL
$25,000
Yes
Snowe, Olympia
R
ME
$4,000
Yes
Specter, Arlen
D
PA
$353,550
Yes
Stabenow, Debbie Ann
D
MI
$39,134
Yes
Tester, Jon
D
MT
$14,000
No
Thune, John
R
SD
$45,300
Yes
Udall, Mark
D
CO
$102,275
No
Udall, Tom
D
NM
$15,300
Yes
Vitter, David
R
LA
$17,050
Yes
Voinovich, George
R
OH
$63,750
No
Warner, Mark
D
VA
$84,950
No
Webb, Jim
D
VA
$8,750
Yes
Whitehouse, Sheldon
D
RI
$11,800
No
Wicker, Roger
R
MS
$67,600
Yes
Wyden, Ron
D
OR
$27,800
Yes
Methodology: Campaign contributions data provided by the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets Open Data, and includes PAC and individual contributions from pharmaceutical manufacturing interests. Date range of contributions: January 1, 2003 - August 12, 2009. Contributions to the presidential campaigns of Senators are not included.
MAPLight.org's previous coverage of health care reform includes Lieberman Among Top Recipients of Health Insurance Money; Opposes Medicare Expansion (December 15), Public Option Dies in Senate While Health Industry Money Flows (December 14), analyses of campaign contributions and votes on the public option (Sept. 30, Oct. 8) and votes benefiting pharma interests.
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MAPLight.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization based in Berkeley, California. Its mission is to illuminate the connection between Money and Politics (MAP) using our groundbreaking database of campaign contributions and legislative votes. MAPLight.org combines data from the Federal Election Commission, the Center for Responsive Politics, GovTrack.us, the National Institute on Money in State Politics (NIMSP), the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission and other sources to better inform Americans and local and national media about the role of special-interest money in our political system. To learn more, visit: MAPLight.org.
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