[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 7 (Friday, January 12, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H438-H439]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  0915
                             SUPPORT H.R. 4

  (Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
support of H.R. 4, the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act 
of 2007.
  Now you can imagine how Democrats felt when the Republicans hijacked 
the whole idea of putting benefits into Medicare for prescription 
drugs. Not only did they do a bad job with the regular program with the 
doughnut hole

[[Page H439]]

and higher prices, but on top of that, they added two additional 
things.
  One, they made criminals of people who would go to Canada or Mexico 
to get the same drugs for lower prices because, of course, our 
pharmaceutical companies charge the highest price for drugs right here 
in the United States.
  Secondly, they prohibited the United States Government from doing 
what all other health plans do: negotiate the price of prescription 
drugs for the people who are in their health care program.
  Well, guess what? Today we will right that. Today we will allow the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate on behalf of 
Americans.

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