Grassley Meets with DHS Nominee General John Kelly
Thursday, January 12, 2017 - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley made the following statement after meeting with General John Kelly, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Homeland Security. The Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over immigration policy which mainly falls under the purview of the Department of Homeland Security.
“I appreciate General Kelly meeting with me. It was clear from our conversation that he understands the critical importance border security plays in our overall homeland security, especially with respect to the flow of illegal immigration and dangerous narcotics across the border into our country. I expressed my strong appreciation for whistleblowers and my intent to continue oversight of government agencies so as to hold them accountable for taxpayers.
“We also discussed a lot of issues surrounding the flawed immigration enforcement policies that are currently being employed and how the incoming administration can help ensure that criminal immigrants are not released into the streets of American communities and are deported. I mentioned the case involving Sarah Root, and the need to do more to get drunk drivers who are here illegally off our streets.
“In addition, we talked about new proposed regulations published by the Department today that would go a long way to restoring the EB-5 immigrant visa program to the way Congress intended it to be used: to help bring much-needed jobs and capital to rural and economically distressed areas. I expressed my strong desire that these rules be kept in place and allowed to go forward to ensure that this program fulfills its original intent.”
Justice Dept. IG review of actions taken before 2016 election
Thursday, January 12, 2017 - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley made the following statement after the Justice Department Inspector General announced a review of “allegations regarding various actions by the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in advance of the 2016 election.” Grassley raised concerns to the Inspector General about the public’s lack of confidence in the Justice Department’s ability to handle investigations related to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. That letter can be found here.
“It’s good to hear that the Inspector General agreed to my request to look at multiple concerns that I raised throughout the investigation. Conspicuously absent, though, is any specific reference to the Attorney General’s failure to recuse herself from the probe, particularly after her meeting with former President Clinton. It’s in the public interest to provide a full accounting of all the facts that led to the FBI and Justice Department’s decision-making regarding the investigation.”
Klobuchar, Grassley Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Crack Down on Anti-Competitive Pay-for-Delay Pharmaceutical Deals
The Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act would increase consumers’ access to cost-saving generic drugs by helping put an end to pay-offs by brand-name drug manufacturers that keep cheaper generic equivalents off the market
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Amy Klobuchar of Minn. today introduced bipartisan legislation to crack down on anti-competitive pay-for-delay pharmaceutical deals. The Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act would crack down on anti-competitive pay-offs in which branded companies pay their generic competitors not to compete as part of a patent settlement. These pay-off settlements (also known as “reverse payments”) delay consumer access to generic drugs, which can be as much as 90 percent cheaper than brand-name drugs. The legislation would stop these anti-competitive pay-off agreements to keep more affordable generic equivalents off the market and make sure consumers have access to the cost saving generics they need
“When brand-name drug makers and generic manufacturers enter into agreements to keep more affordable medicines out of the marketplace, all of us are left to pay the price. This anti-competitive practice results in artificially high drug prices for consumers and taxpayers, and short-circuits laws in place to expedite access to less-costly medications. This bill would prevent drug companies from engaging in these abusive dealings and ensures more timely access to affordable medicines for patients and taxpayers,” Grassley said.
“Outrageous pay-for-delay pharmaceutical deals thwart competition and raise prescription drug prices for consumers,” Klobuchar said. “Our legislation would put an end this harmful practice that keeps generic drugs off the market. I’ll continue to push to ensure that consumers have access to the drugs they need at a price they can afford.”
The two senators introduced similar legislation last Congress following a FTC report demonstrating that a significant number of potential pay-for-delay settlements continue to occur
Klobuchar has championed efforts to address the high cost of prescription drugs, authoring multiple pieces of legislation that would protect American consumers. She introduced the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act, which would allow for Medicare to negotiate the best possible price of prescription drugs. Klobuchar joined with Senators Grassley, Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Mike Lee (R-UT) to introduce the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act to deter pharmaceutical companies from blocking cheaper generic alternatives from entering the marketplace. In addition, Klobuchar introduced the Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act with Senator John McCain (R-AZ) that would require the Food and Drug Administration to establish a personal importation program that would allow individuals to import a 90-day supply of prescription drugs from an approved Canadian pharmacy.
Grassley introduced the bipartisan CREATES Act with Klobuchar and others to prevent brand name drug makers from restricting access to samples for product testing for generic manufacturers, which can delay generic drugs from entering the marketplace. Grassley has advocated for lifting importation restrictions on prescription medications, allowing for greater competition in the marketplace, and voted for such reforms during a budget resolution debate earlier this week. He also led an investigation into the business practices of Mylan, a drug company that dramatically increased the price of the life-saving EpiPen. The company also overcharged taxpayers by misrepresenting its product to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He also called on the Federal Trade Commission to look into whether drug makers are engaged in anticompetitive behaviors that drive up the price of prescription medications, and urged President-elect Trump to prioritize efforts to improve competition in the prescription drug market to help bring down prices for consumers.
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Grassley, Casey, Brown Re-introduce Popular Bipartisan Bill to Help Pharmacists Provide Medical Services to Older Americans in Under-served Areas
WASHINGTON – Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Bob Casey (D-Penn.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and fellow senators today re-introduced their popular bipartisan legislation to encourage pharmacists to serve older Americans in communities lacking easy access to doctors or where pharmacists are more convenient to visit for certain services than doctors.
“A lot of people in rural Iowa have easier access to a pharmacist than a doctor,” Grassley said. “Where that pharmacist is licensed to provide a service, Medicare ought to pay the pharmacist for it. That’s what this bill does. It’s good for pharmacists because they get paid for providing services to rural seniors. It’s good for rural seniors because they keep access to their local pharmacist and don’t have to go to the doctor for straightforward medication management.”
“Across the country and in Pennsylvania pharmacists play a critical role in helping seniors receive access to routine healthcare services like wellness checks,” Casey said. “This legislation will aid those in rural communities who may not live in close proximity to the doctor but do have regular contact with their pharmacist. I’m hopeful that Congress will move forward on this commonsense legislation in the coming year.”
“Seniors in rural Ohio shouldn’t have to travel long distances to see their doctor for a simple health screening when the pharmacist down the street can offer the same services,” said Brown. “We can better serve our seniors and taxpayers by cutting through the red tape and giving seniors more choice on where they go for care”
The Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act, S.109, has 27 original cosponsors. It encourages pharmacists to offer health care services such as health and wellness screenings, immunizations and diabetes management by authorizing Medicare payments for those services where pharmacists are already licensed under state law to provide them. Most states already allow pharmacists to provide these services but there currently is no way for pharmacists to receive Medicare reimbursement for providing them.
The bill is supported by organizations including the Iowa Pharmacy Association, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the Patient Access to Pharmacists’ Care Coalition, the American Pharmacists Association and Kmart. Hundreds of people, including Iowa pharmacy students, have contacted Grassley’s office in support of the measure,.
A companion bill is planned in the House of Representatives.
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