^^^ Yikes is right. Jimmy Dore is right about the dems and Hillary in this vid 1:05 until the end. https://www.youtube.com/user/TYTComedy the rest of the video is just hyped up nonsense causing unnecessary madness in the American people just like that loopy catchphrase "Not my President". Wake up folks, President Trump is your President. As for Cenk well he is wishy washy at best and suits the radlibs best when he needs support.
On a whole the democratic party is irrelevant right now. They need to regroup and get to the root cause of their problems and they need to do it themselves. Without anyone holding their hand through the process it may take a long time though probably about eight years.
I am so glad you guys would get riled up about someone like Bill Maher.
Perhaps you should shift that energy into making your party actually BETTER post Hillary (solutions anyone?). Complete turnover, get these guys out and real people that want to turn the party of whimps into a party that fights for the PEOPLE and not what the 1% want. You guys getting angry at someone who disagrees with your POV does nothing for your failed party. Get angry in the right direction.
-if Bernie had won, the Democratic party WOULD HAVE been your party -everyone is over Hillary losing, except for, apparently, you. -why are you so dismissive of what your party affiliation is, the old "I've said it enough on here" deflection, if you are so eager to criticize everyone else's affiliations? -you were so clearly and terribly wrong about Maher (I also find him to be a blowhard and can't watch him), so you just state "I didn't read past your first sentence". that is from a class called Avoiding My Major Fuckup 101 -no one is sitting here saying the Democratic party is where it should be. Yet, all you keep yelling about is how it needs to be fixed and that no one is listening to you. No one is listening to you because everyone knows HRC was a terrible candidate. Everyone has admitted as such. What is it that you are trying to prove here?
WHY DO YOU GIVE A FUCK ABOUT A PARTY YOU ARE NOT A PART OF? and don't answer with one of your dismissive "pointing fingers" bullshit. all the finger pointing is being done by YOU.
Did you see any non-Republican telling Republicans how fucked up their party was in 2008/2012 and that they need to fix it? No. Why? Because it's fucking bizarre, that's why.
you have actually surpassed pjfan. seriously.
it's lunacy.
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
I am so glad you guys would get riled up about someone like Bill Maher.
Perhaps you should shift that energy into making your party actually BETTER post Hillary (solutions anyone?). Complete turnover, get these guys out and real people that want to turn the party of whimps into a party that fights for the PEOPLE and not what the 1% want. You guys getting angry at someone who disagrees with your POV does nothing for your failed party. Get angry in the right direction.
-if Bernie had won, the Democratic party WOULD HAVE been your party -everyone is over Hillary losing, except for, apparently, you. -why are you so dismissive of what your party affiliation is, the old "I've said it enough on here" deflection, if you are so eager to criticize everyone else's affiliations? -you were so clearly and terribly wrong about Maher (I also find him to be a blowhard and can't watch him), so you just state "I didn't read past your first sentence". that is from a class called Avoiding My Major Fuckup 101 -no one is sitting here saying the Democratic party is where it should be. Yet, all you keep yelling about is how it needs to be fixed and that no one is listening to you. No one is listening to you because everyone knows HRC was a terrible candidate. Everyone has admitted as such. What is it that you are trying to prove here?
WHY DO YOU GIVE A FUCK ABOUT A PARTY YOU ARE NOT A PART OF? and don't answer with one of your dismissive "pointing fingers" bullshit. all the finger pointing is being done by YOU.
Did you see any non-Republican telling Republicans how fucked up their party was in 2008/2012 and that they need to fix it? No. Why? Because it's fucking bizarre, that's why.
you have actually surpassed pjfan. seriously.
it's lunacy.
You must be another angry elf.
One sentence for you as to why I and every citizen of the World should care about the Dem party:
...because THEY LOST this election that should have been a no-brained, shoe-in for them. The party failed as much as their weak candidate and campaign because they SHUT DOWN anyone and everyone who doesn't think just like them. Look where that got the entire world. The Dems are as much about division as Trump supporters.
I am so glad you guys would get riled up about someone like Bill Maher.
Perhaps you should shift that energy into making your party actually BETTER post Hillary (solutions anyone?). Complete turnover, get these guys out and real people that want to turn the party of whimps into a party that fights for the PEOPLE and not what the 1% want. You guys getting angry at someone who disagrees with your POV does nothing for your failed party. Get angry in the right direction.
-if Bernie had won, the Democratic party WOULD HAVE been your party -everyone is over Hillary losing, except for, apparently, you. -why are you so dismissive of what your party affiliation is, the old "I've said it enough on here" deflection, if you are so eager to criticize everyone else's affiliations? -you were so clearly and terribly wrong about Maher (I also find him to be a blowhard and can't watch him), so you just state "I didn't read past your first sentence". that is from a class called Avoiding My Major Fuckup 101 -no one is sitting here saying the Democratic party is where it should be. Yet, all you keep yelling about is how it needs to be fixed and that no one is listening to you. No one is listening to you because everyone knows HRC was a terrible candidate. Everyone has admitted as such. What is it that you are trying to prove here?
WHY DO YOU GIVE A FUCK ABOUT A PARTY YOU ARE NOT A PART OF? and don't answer with one of your dismissive "pointing fingers" bullshit. all the finger pointing is being done by YOU.
Did you see any non-Republican telling Republicans how fucked up their party was in 2008/2012 and that they need to fix it? No. Why? Because it's fucking bizarre, that's why.
you have actually surpassed pjfan. seriously.
it's lunacy.
You must be another angry elf.
One sentence for you as to why I and every citizen of the World should care about the Dem party:
...because THEY LOST this election that should have been a no-brained, shoe-in for them. The party failed as much as their weak candidate and campaign because they SHUT DOWN anyone and everyone who doesn't think just like them. Look where that got the entire world. The Dems are as much about division as Trump supporters.
I am so glad you guys would get riled up about someone like Bill Maher.
Perhaps you should shift that energy into making your party actually BETTER post Hillary (solutions anyone?). Complete turnover, get these guys out and real people that want to turn the party of whimps into a party that fights for the PEOPLE and not what the 1% want. You guys getting angry at someone who disagrees with your POV does nothing for your failed party. Get angry in the right direction.
-if Bernie had won, the Democratic party WOULD HAVE been your party -everyone is over Hillary losing, except for, apparently, you. -why are you so dismissive of what your party affiliation is, the old "I've said it enough on here" deflection, if you are so eager to criticize everyone else's affiliations? -you were so clearly and terribly wrong about Maher (I also find him to be a blowhard and can't watch him), so you just state "I didn't read past your first sentence". that is from a class called Avoiding My Major Fuckup 101 -no one is sitting here saying the Democratic party is where it should be. Yet, all you keep yelling about is how it needs to be fixed and that no one is listening to you. No one is listening to you because everyone knows HRC was a terrible candidate. Everyone has admitted as such. What is it that you are trying to prove here?
WHY DO YOU GIVE A FUCK ABOUT A PARTY YOU ARE NOT A PART OF? and don't answer with one of your dismissive "pointing fingers" bullshit. all the finger pointing is being done by YOU.
Did you see any non-Republican telling Republicans how fucked up their party was in 2008/2012 and that they need to fix it? No. Why? Because it's fucking bizarre, that's why.
you have actually surpassed pjfan. seriously.
it's lunacy.
You must be another angry elf.
One sentence for you as to why I and every citizen of the World should care about the Dem party:
...because THEY LOST this election that should have been a no-brained, shoe-in for them. The party failed as much as their weak candidate and campaign because they SHUT DOWN anyone and everyone who doesn't think just like them. Look where that got the entire world. The Dems are as much about division as Trump supporters.
angry elf?
so you aren't a democrat, but you are blaming them for donald trump? ever think about blaming the electorate who voted him in? or those who abstained from voting because of some ill-conceived laughable "morality" because they are all Bitter Bernie Bros?
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
I am so glad you guys would get riled up about someone like Bill Maher.
Perhaps you should shift that energy into making your party actually BETTER post Hillary (solutions anyone?). Complete turnover, get these guys out and real people that want to turn the party of whimps into a party that fights for the PEOPLE and not what the 1% want. You guys getting angry at someone who disagrees with your POV does nothing for your failed party. Get angry in the right direction.
-if Bernie had won, the Democratic party WOULD HAVE been your party -everyone is over Hillary losing, except for, apparently, you. -why are you so dismissive of what your party affiliation is, the old "I've said it enough on here" deflection, if you are so eager to criticize everyone else's affiliations? -you were so clearly and terribly wrong about Maher (I also find him to be a blowhard and can't watch him), so you just state "I didn't read past your first sentence". that is from a class called Avoiding My Major Fuckup 101 -no one is sitting here saying the Democratic party is where it should be. Yet, all you keep yelling about is how it needs to be fixed and that no one is listening to you. No one is listening to you because everyone knows HRC was a terrible candidate. Everyone has admitted as such. What is it that you are trying to prove here?
WHY DO YOU GIVE A FUCK ABOUT A PARTY YOU ARE NOT A PART OF? and don't answer with one of your dismissive "pointing fingers" bullshit. all the finger pointing is being done by YOU.
Did you see any non-Republican telling Republicans how fucked up their party was in 2008/2012 and that they need to fix it? No. Why? Because it's fucking bizarre, that's why.
you have actually surpassed pjfan. seriously.
it's lunacy.
You must be another angry elf.
One sentence for you as to why I and every citizen of the World should care about the Dem party:
...because THEY LOST this election that should have been a no-brained, shoe-in for them. The party failed as much as their weak candidate and campaign because they SHUT DOWN anyone and everyone who doesn't think just like them. Look where that got the entire world. The Dems are as much about division as Trump supporters.
angry elf?
so you aren't a democrat, but you are blaming them for donald trump? ever think about blaming the electorate who voted him in? or those who abstained from voting because of some ill-conceived laughable "morality" because they are all Bitter Bernie Bros?
It's hard to imagine, but there were quite a few folks who thought the whole election was already over and Clinton had been named the winner!
...Good luck with The future of the Democratic Party. For when you can't have a decent discussion and what they can improve upon without blaming me and anyone who doesn't share their opinion, absolutely nothing will ever get done.
Haven't we all learned this from the election. Perhaps not. We will see if they do any better in 2020.
I'm already eating my words! The Dems are Failing the people starting w/ Bernie's Pharma bill. Way to go Booker and good luck to you in 2020.
I'm gonna take a wild guess, that this is the same list of reps that got paid off by lobbyists or had donations to their campaigns by persons associated with drug companies???
I've said it already, but I'm not on Team Booker in 2020. I really, really hope for Gavin Newsom out in California. Chances are he'll be elected governor there in two years.
That vote was for authorization of cheaper drug funding, it was a tactical vote to flush out the corporate whore democrats owned by big pharma. Look at the future of the democratic partys Booker reasons for voting against the amendment "safety concerns over imported drugs from Canada", ignoring that this was solely about funding and any facts about cases of Canadians harmed from their drugs, know that Booker voted in Dec to weaken already weak FDA drugs protocols and procedures. He is really really really concerned about drug safety, laughable. See 21st century cures act.
I'm gonna take a wild guess, that this is the same list of reps that got paid off by lobbyists or had donations to their campaigns by persons associated with drug companies???
All of them received big bucks, most 200-400k from big pharma in last 5 years. Tester? How do I know that name?
I'm gonna take a wild guess, that this is the same list of reps that got paid off by lobbyists or had donations to their campaigns by persons associated with drug companies???
All of them received big bucks, most 200-400k from big pharma in last 5 years. Tester? How do I know that name?
Anyone know how to find the full amendment so we can see the fine print? Before I judge their vote, it'd be interesting to see what was all listed and concessions to get this done.
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 178 and ask unanimous consent that it be reported by number. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the clerk will report the amendment by number. The legislative clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Minnesota [Ms. Klobuchar] proposes an amendment numbered 178.
The amendment is as follows:
(Purpose: To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to lowering prescription drug prices for Americans by importing drugs from Canada)
At the end of title III, add the following:
SEC. 3___. DEFICIT-NEUTRAL RESERVE FUND RELATING TO LOWERING PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES FOR AMERICANS BY IMPORTING DRUGS FROM CANADA
The Chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the Senate may revise the allocations of a committee or committees, aggregates, and other appropriate levels in this resolution for one or more bills, joint resolutions, amendments, amendments between the Houses, motions, or conference reports relating to lowering prescription drug prices, including through the importation of safe and affordable prescription drugs from Canada by American pharmacists, wholesalers, and individuals with a valid prescription from a provider licensed to practice in the United States, by the amounts provided in such legislation for those purposes, provided that such legislation would not increase the deficit over either the period of the total of fiscal years 2017 through 2021 or the period of the total of fiscal years 2017 through 2026.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I come to the floor to ask that my colleagues support this very important amendment with Senator Sanders. I will match his passion with numbers. The price of insulin, as our colleagues know, has tripled in the last decade. The antibiotic doxycycline went from $20 a bottle to nearly $2,000 a bottle in 6 months. Naloxone, the drug used to help with overdose, went from $690 to $4,500 to date. We cannot sit here and do nothing. We have an opportunity, for those who believe in the free market, to allow in competition--competition from the safe country of Canada, our neighbors to the north. In Minnesota, we can see Canada from our porch, and we want to see that competition come in and save our constituents' lives. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont. Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, last year the five major drug companies made $50 billion in profit, while one out of five Americans cannot afford the medicine they need. Please don't tell me that we can import fish from all over the world, but we can't bring medicine in from Canada. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The time for the Senator from Vermont has expired. The Senator from Wyoming. Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, this discussion will be a little different than any we have had because in a bipartisan way we have been defeating this for at least 14 years. Byron Dorgan used to head it up on that side, and I used to oppose it from this side, but it has always been bipartisan, and that is because we are not sure about the safety of the prescription drugs that come in online. People who drive over the border and go to a pharmacist are probably getting good drugs there, but we are told that for up to 85 percent of what comes in online, we can't tell what country it came from. So we can specify Canada, but it may be from another country altogether, particularly the Middle East. If we want to assure we have the safety of our drugs, being able to get it online from even Canada doesn't have the kind of assurance we need. We have always asked that the Secretary of Health and Human Services specify that the safety is in place. No one has been willing to do that. I ask that we vote against this amendment. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the amendment. Mr. SANDERS. I ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to be a sufficient second.
[[Page S262]]
The clerk will call the roll. The bill clerk called the roll. Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Sessions). Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein) is necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote? The result was announced--yeas 46, nays 52, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 20 Leg.]
YEAS--46
Baldwin Blumenthal Boozman Brown Cardin Collins Cortez Masto Cruz Duckworth Durbin Flake Franken Gillibrand Grassley Harris Hassan Heller Hirono Kaine Kennedy King Klobuchar Leahy Lee Manchin Markey McCain McCaskill Merkley Murkowski Murphy Nelson Paul Peters Reed Sanders Schatz Schumer Shaheen Stabenow Thune Udall Van Hollen Warren Whitehouse Wyden
NAYS--52
Alexander Barrasso Bennet Blunt Booker Burr Cantwell Capito Carper Casey Cassidy Cochran Coons Corker Cornyn Cotton Crapo Daines Donnelly Enzi Ernst Fischer Gardner Graham Hatch Heinrich Heitkamp Hoeven Inhofe Isakson Johnson Lankford McConnell Menendez Moran Murray Perdue Portman Risch Roberts Rounds Rubio Sasse Scott Shelby Sullivan Tester Tillis Toomey Warner Wicker Young
NOT VOTING--2
Feinstein Sessions
The amendment (No. 178) was rejected. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.
"I'll use the magic word - let's just shut the fuck up, please." EV, 04/13/08
Hmm, don't forget the [NAME-CALLING REMOVED BY ADMIN. BACK IT DOWN A NOTCH OR TWO TO PRESERVE YOUR POSTING PRIVILEGES.] republicans who continue to standby silently as the Don destroyed the country and acts like a child. If they are proud of this "victory" they are just as fucked.
Hmm, don't forget the [NAME-CALLING REMOVED BY ADMIN. BACK IT DOWN A NOTCH OR TWO TO PRESERVE YOUR POSTING PRIVILEGES.] republicans who continue to standby silently as the Don destroyed the country and acts like a child. If they are proud of this "victory" they are just as fucked.
Deflection is the name of the game, and the meme goes for republicans, too.
Our representatives, whom we voted in, are not doing us justice. But let's stay the same two parties, and keep these reps rich and serving their own corporate interests, and NOT the people's.
...why would any Democrat worthy of the name vote against cheaper pharmaceuticals from Canada? For the roll call vote, held (appropriately) in the dark of the night Wednesday — when hardly anybody was paying attention — click here. Note that the amendment, “To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to lower prescription drug prices for Americans by importing drugs from Canada,” was rejected on a 46-52 vote, with a whopping 13 (!) Democrats — including our own state’s Mark Warner — voting “nay.”
Again, why? I really don’t get it; the “argument” that this is about protecting Americans from supposedly unsafe drugs from that notorious Third World nation to our north (heh) is, as Reich puts it, “rubbish.” By the way, I contacted Sen. Warner’s office this morning for an explanation as to why he voted “nay” on this, but so far haven’t heard back. If I do, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, here’s what Robert Reich has to say…
If Democrats don’t act like Democrats and stick up for average Americans, who will? Republicans? Trump?
Last night Bernie Sanders introduced a simple amendment urging the federal government to allow Americans to purchase pharmaceutical drugs from Canada (where drugs are considerably cheaper because the Canadian government uses a review board and price negotiation to make drugs more affordable). Such unrestricted drug importation is currently barred by law because Big Pharma doesn’t want anything to cut into its profits.
The Senate voted down the amendment 52-46. It was opposed by most Republicans (no surprise) but also by 13 Democrats, including New Jersey’s Cory Booker, a rising star in the party and a possible 2020 presidential contender. Democrats who opposed it said they were concerned about safety.
Rubbish. Canadians are just as concerned about safety as we are. Most of the drugs that would be imported from Canada were originally manufactured in the United States, anyway.
Booker and other Democrats who opposed the Sanders amendment are longtime friends of Big Pharma. As MapLight data shows, Booker has received more pharmaceutical manufacturing cash over the past 6 years than any other Democratic senator: $267,338. Other Democrats receiving six-figure donations from Big Pharma – Pennsylvania’s Bob Casey, Washington’s Patty Murray, and Colorado’s Michael Bennet — also opposed the amendment.
We have no hope of winning back Congress and the presidency – and winning back the confidence of the American people – if elected Democrats take big money and vote the way big money wants them to.
Comments
Cenk is much more charismatic.
Yikes is right.
Jimmy Dore is right about the dems and Hillary in this vid 1:05 until the end. https://www.youtube.com/user/TYTComedy the rest of the video is just hyped up nonsense causing unnecessary madness in the American people just like that loopy catchphrase "Not my President".
Wake up folks, President Trump is your President.
As for Cenk well he is wishy washy at best and suits the radlibs best when he needs support.
On a whole the democratic party is irrelevant right now. They need to regroup and get to the root cause of their problems and they need to do it themselves. Without anyone holding their hand through the process it may take a long time though probably about eight years.
-everyone is over Hillary losing, except for, apparently, you.
-why are you so dismissive of what your party affiliation is, the old "I've said it enough on here" deflection, if you are so eager to criticize everyone else's affiliations?
-you were so clearly and terribly wrong about Maher (I also find him to be a blowhard and can't watch him), so you just state "I didn't read past your first sentence". that is from a class called Avoiding My Major Fuckup 101
-no one is sitting here saying the Democratic party is where it should be. Yet, all you keep yelling about is how it needs to be fixed and that no one is listening to you. No one is listening to you because everyone knows HRC was a terrible candidate. Everyone has admitted as such. What is it that you are trying to prove here?
WHY DO YOU GIVE A FUCK ABOUT A PARTY YOU ARE NOT A PART OF? and don't answer with one of your dismissive "pointing fingers" bullshit. all the finger pointing is being done by YOU.
Did you see any non-Republican telling Republicans how fucked up their party was in 2008/2012 and that they need to fix it? No. Why? Because it's fucking bizarre, that's why.
you have actually surpassed pjfan. seriously.
it's lunacy.
-EV 8/14/93
One sentence for you as to why I and every citizen of the World should care about the Dem party:
...because THEY LOST this election that should have been a no-brained, shoe-in for them. The party failed as much as their weak candidate and campaign because they SHUT DOWN anyone and everyone who doesn't think just like them. Look where that got the entire world. The Dems are as much about division as Trump supporters.
Going forward who do you want to lead the DNC?
http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2017/01/09/booker-menendez-endorse-fellow-democrat-murphy-governor/96348760/
so you aren't a democrat, but you are blaming them for donald trump? ever think about blaming the electorate who voted him in? or those who abstained from voting because of some ill-conceived laughable "morality" because they are all Bitter Bernie Bros?
-EV 8/14/93
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/313440-cory-booker-to-testify-against-sessions-nomination
Cenk is much more charismatic. It's hard to imagine, but there were quite a few folks who thought the whole election was already over and Clinton had been named the winner!
Bernies cheaper drug amendment...Booker and Dem NAYs
12 Gop for 13 Dems against
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=115&session=1&vote=00020#position
https://www.google.com/amp/thehill.com/homenews/senate/313666-cory-booker-kicks-off-2020-maneuvering-in-the-senate?amp
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/12/sanders-slams-democrats-who-voted-pharmaceutical-industry/96506340/
http://www.reverbnation.com/brianzilm
Look at the future of the democratic partys Booker reasons for voting against the amendment "safety concerns over imported drugs from Canada", ignoring that this was solely about funding and any facts about cases of Canadians harmed from their drugs, know that Booker voted in Dec to weaken already weak FDA drugs protocols and procedures. He is really really really concerned about drug safety, laughable.
See 21st century cures act.
Tester? How do I know that name?
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/01/12/big-pharma-backed-dems-join-gop-block-sanders-effort-end-drug-price-gouging
Amendment No. 178
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 178 and ask
unanimous consent that it be reported by number.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the clerk will report the
amendment by number.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Minnesota [Ms. Klobuchar] proposes an
amendment numbered 178.
The amendment is as follows:
(Purpose: To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to
lowering prescription drug prices for Americans by importing drugs from
Canada)
At the end of title III, add the following:
SEC. 3___. DEFICIT-NEUTRAL RESERVE FUND RELATING TO LOWERING
PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES FOR AMERICANS BY
IMPORTING DRUGS FROM CANADA
The Chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the Senate
may revise the allocations of a committee or committees,
aggregates, and other appropriate levels in this resolution
for one or more bills, joint resolutions, amendments,
amendments between the Houses, motions, or conference reports
relating to lowering prescription drug prices, including
through the importation of safe and affordable prescription
drugs from Canada by American pharmacists, wholesalers, and
individuals with a valid prescription from a provider
licensed to practice in the United States, by the amounts
provided in such legislation for those purposes, provided
that such legislation would not increase the deficit over
either the period of the total of fiscal years 2017 through
2021 or the period of the total of fiscal years 2017 through
2026.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota.
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I come to the floor to ask that my
colleagues support this very important amendment with Senator Sanders.
I will match his passion with numbers.
The price of insulin, as our colleagues know, has tripled in the last
decade. The antibiotic doxycycline went from $20 a bottle to nearly
$2,000 a bottle in 6 months. Naloxone, the drug used to help with
overdose, went from $690 to $4,500 to date. We cannot sit here and do
nothing. We have an opportunity, for those who believe in the free
market, to allow in competition--competition from the safe country of
Canada, our neighbors to the north. In Minnesota, we can see Canada
from our porch, and we want to see that competition come in and save
our constituents' lives.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, last year the five major drug companies
made $50 billion in profit, while one out of five Americans cannot
afford the medicine they need. Please don't tell me that we can import
fish from all over the world, but we can't bring medicine in from
Canada.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The time for the Senator from Vermont has
expired.
The Senator from Wyoming.
Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, this discussion will be a little different
than any we have had because in a bipartisan way we have been defeating
this for at least 14 years. Byron Dorgan used to head it up on that
side, and I used to oppose it from this side, but it has always been
bipartisan, and that is because we are not sure about the safety of the
prescription drugs that come in online.
People who drive over the border and go to a pharmacist are probably
getting good drugs there, but we are told that for up to 85 percent of
what comes in online, we can't tell what country it came from. So we
can specify Canada, but it may be from another country altogether,
particularly the Middle East. If we want to assure we have the safety
of our drugs, being able to get it online from even Canada doesn't have
the kind of assurance we need. We have always asked that the Secretary
of Health and Human Services specify that the safety is in place. No
one has been willing to do that.
I ask that we vote against this amendment.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the amendment.
Mr. SANDERS. I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
[[Page S262]]
The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk called the roll.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator
from Alabama (Mr. Sessions).
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs.
Feinstein) is necessarily absent.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber
desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 46, nays 52, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 20 Leg.]
YEAS--46
Baldwin
Blumenthal
Boozman
Brown
Cardin
Collins
Cortez Masto
Cruz
Duckworth
Durbin
Flake
Franken
Gillibrand
Grassley
Harris
Hassan
Heller
Hirono
Kaine
Kennedy
King
Klobuchar
Leahy
Lee
Manchin
Markey
McCain
McCaskill
Merkley
Murkowski
Murphy
Nelson
Paul
Peters
Reed
Sanders
Schatz
Schumer
Shaheen
Stabenow
Thune
Udall
Van Hollen
Warren
Whitehouse
Wyden
NAYS--52
Alexander
Barrasso
Bennet
Blunt
Booker
Burr
Cantwell
Capito
Carper
Casey
Cassidy
Cochran
Coons
Corker
Cornyn
Cotton
Crapo
Daines
Donnelly
Enzi
Ernst
Fischer
Gardner
Graham
Hatch
Heinrich
Heitkamp
Hoeven
Inhofe
Isakson
Johnson
Lankford
McConnell
Menendez
Moran
Murray
Perdue
Portman
Risch
Roberts
Rounds
Rubio
Sasse
Scott
Shelby
Sullivan
Tester
Tillis
Toomey
Warner
Wicker
Young
NOT VOTING--2
Feinstein
Sessions
The amendment (No. 178) was rejected.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.
Our representatives, whom we voted in, are not doing us justice. But let's stay the same two parties, and keep these reps rich and serving their own corporate interests, and NOT the people's.
http://bluevirginia.us/2017/01/democrat-vote-cheaper-priced-drugs-canada