Refugee consultation with State Department
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley made the following statement after a meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry and Anne Richard, Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees and Migration. The consultation regarding the number of refugees that the United States will admit into the country is required by law. In the event of an "emergency refugee situation" the administration may admit an additional number of refugees, but only after additional consultation with Congress.
"Secretary Kerry initially said that the Obama administration is seeking a reasonable increase in refugees allowed into the United States in the upcoming fiscal year. But when pressed, the administration indicated that they were considering opening the floodgates and using emergency authority to go above what they proposed to Congress in today's consultation. The administration also has not ruled out potentially paroling thousands of Syrians into the United States.
"The United States welcomes more refugees than the rest of the world's countries combined, and there's no question that we need to continue to do our part to help with the crisis that is unfolding in the Middle East and Europe. But, the administration also needs to enlist the help of other capable, affluent nations in the Middle East to deal with the crisis in Syria to care for those who are fleeing violence and persecution.
"In addition, before agreeing to accept tens of thousands of Syrian refugees, the Obama administration must prove to the American people that it will take the necessary precautions to ensure that national security is a top priority, especially at a time when ruthless terrorist groups like ISIS are committed to finding ways to enter the United States and harm Americans."Klobuchar, Grassley Renew Efforts to Crack Down on Anti-Competitive Pay-for-Delay Pharmaceutical Deals
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar of Minn., and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, today renewed their efforts to crack down on anti-competitive pay-for-delay pharmaceutical deals. The senators reintroduced the Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act, which would increase consumers' access to the cost-saving generic drugs they need by helping put an end to the practice of brand-name drug manufacturers using pay-off agreements to keep more affordable generic equivalents off the market. A report from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in December 2014 identified 29 potential pay-for-delay settlements involving 21 different branded pharmaceutical products, with combined U.S. sales of approximately $4.3 billion.
"Pay-for-delay pharmaceutical deals force consumers to pay higher prices by keeping affordable alternatives to brand-name drugs off the market," said Klobuchar. "Our legislation will help ensure people have access to the medications they need at a price they can afford by putting an end to these harmful agreements once and for all."
"Pay-for-delay deals keep drug costs artificially high for consumers and the taxpaying public. These agreements disrupt the current law that was put in place to speed generic drugs getting to the market. In addition, they force consumers to pay more for their medicines, and add an exorbitant burden to the deficit," Grassley said. "The FTC has kept the pressure on, but Congress should act to end these twisted litigation settlements."
The Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act would crack down on anti-competitive pay-offs and make sure consumers have access to the cost-saving generic drugs they need. Pay-for-delay agreements delay generic entry into the market an average of nearly 17 months longer than agreements without payments. 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 make it illegal for brand-name drug manufacturers to use anti-competitive pay-off agreements to keep more affordable generic equivalents off the market. Klobuchar and Grassley introduced similar legislation last Congress following a resurgence of patent settlement agreements.
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