Grassley Says the Quiet Part Out Loud: His Bill Intended to Help Vulnerable Senate Republicans, Not Actually Solve Problem

Senator Grassley: “We got 23 Republicans up for re-election. And it’s an issue in every state and it’s an issue nationally. So, I’ve got the game in town that you can run on a platform that you’re really going to do something about prescription drugs.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In audio reported by local Iowa radio stations, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, admitted that the Senate bill he is working on isn’t about actually addressing the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs, but rather about giving Senate Republicans up for re-election a talking point they can use in their campaigns.

“Senator Grassley made the mistake of saying an obvious truth out loud that he was supposed to keep to himself,” said Eli Zupnick, spokesman for Patients Over Pharma. “People across the country are struggling with the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs and the response from Senate leaders should be to pass the House-passed legislation that would actually address the problem, not move a bill to give vulnerable Senators a talking point in their campaigns. Senator Grassley seems to understand that people across the country care about this issue, but what he doesn’t understand is that they want meaningful action, not more political rhetoric.”

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