[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 19 (Tuesday, January 27, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S287-S288]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING DAVID EMERSON MITCHELL

  Mr. WELCH. Mr. President, on January 2, 2026, after a 15-year battle 
with multiple myeloma, David Mitchell passed away at the age of 75.
  After being diagnosed with cancer and experiencing firsthand the 
exorbitant price of lifesaving medications in the United States, David 
founded Patients for Affordable Drugs, a national advocacy organization 
with the goal of lifting up patient voices in the fight to lower 
prescription drug prices.

[[Page S288]]

  David was not motivated by attention; he felt a responsibility to 
speak up for the millions of Americans struggling to afford their 
medications. With a lifetime of public health and communications 
experience and his own personal story to tell, David recognized his 
unique opportunity to take on a system in need of substantial reform. 
Under his leadership, Patients for Affordable Drugs became a trusted, 
bipartisan force for reform, centering patient voices in a debate long 
dominated by corporate interests. And to this day, Patients for 
Affordable Drugs is one of the only national patient advocacy 
organizations that doesn't accept funding from organizations that 
profit from the prescription drug industry.
  In 2022, after nearly a decade of advocacy and coalition building, 
David's work paid off. The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, IRA, 
included provisions that, for the first time ever, empowered Medicare 
to negotiate drug prices on behalf of patients. David and Patients for 
Affordable Drugs' fierce advocacy helped bring about this generational 
policy shift.
  Known as ``the face of opposition to the pharmaceutical industry in 
Washington,'' David was a central voice in Congress. He testified 
before the House and Senate numerous times, and was a go-to, trusted 
expert. I worked closely with David in our efforts to lower drug 
prices. I admired his political acumen, his depth of policy knowledge, 
and mostly, his deep compassion for others going through the same 
struggle he was experiencing. It was his ability to connect the 
realities of everyday Americans with policy changes in Washington that 
made David such an effective advocate.
  While Patients for Affordable Drugs may have been his crowning 
achievement, David also worked on some of the Nation's most effective 
public-health campaigns, including efforts to reduce drunk driving, 
increase seatbelt and child safety seat use, and improve roadway 
safety. His advocacy has saved countless lives, often quietly and 
outside the spotlight.
  David's special power was knowing how to build lasting advocacy 
campaigns that led to real solutions. He demonstrated that patients are 
not passive observers of policy, but essential participants. And when 
someone told him that high drug prices were necessary, David countered 
with a simple slogan: ``Drugs don't work if people can't afford them.''
  Mr. David Mitchell lived a meaningful life in service to others, and 
the world is safer, fairer, and more humane because of him. His legacy 
lives on through his colleagues, family, the laws he helped change, and 
the many patients' lives he empowered.

                          ____________________