President Biden wants you to believe that his fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget will save Medicare, which will be insolvent as early as 2028, without raising costs on seniors or cutting benefits.
If that sounds too good to be true, it’s because it is.
Biden’s plan to “save” Medicare is to raise taxes and subject more drugs to government price controls. The White House boasts that the president’s $6.8 trillion budget proposal will “extend the life of the Medicare Trust Fund by at least 25 years.” This band-aid means that anyone under age 35, or more than one-third of the current workforce, will still face Medicare insolvency in their lifetimes.
Even if you take the White House at its word, Biden is clearly kicking the can down the road for the next generations to deal with. This, however, is par for the course for Washington Democrats these days, particularly when it comes to budget issues; call something “free” and hope you aren’t held accountable when the bill comes due.
Biden’s topline spending numbers also revolve around the false belief that when the government gets involved, prices drop. Rarely, if ever, is this true. The federal government is inherently worse at negotiating drug prices than the private sector; for example, to offset government-set prescription drug prices in the Inflation Reduction Act, drug companies raised the prices of nearly 1,000 other medications, proving that the government alone cannot effectively mandate private sector prices.
Any claim that government price negotiations will automatically lead to cost savings must be greeted with skepticism.
Further, any savings that result from this government drug pricing scheme would be more than offset by new entitlement programs that the left is pushing for, meaning none of Biden’s already inflated estimate of $307 billion in savings would be used to stabilize Medicare or given back to the taxpayer.
Instead, the president proposes $252 billion in new taxes, driven by a rise in the Net Investment Income Tax, on America’s family-owned businesses to help subsidize our broken Medicare system...
It’s a twist of the knife that this administration thrust into the heart of small businesses on day one... |
In this week's edition of Buddy's Briefing, we're hearing from you - why do you support the H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act? |
Tax Day is coming up on Tuesday, April 18th. Make sure to file your taxes by the deadline and reach out to our office if you have any issues receiving your refund from the IRS - contact information is at the bottom of this email.
And while you're at it, click here to learn more about why the establishment is terrified of the FairTax, a proposal that will eliminate the IRS and Tax Day. |
Monday, April 10, 2023: After arriving in Atlanta this morning, I head to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where I am leading a congressional delegation on a visit and tour of our country’s leading science-based and data-driven service organization that protects public health. I am joined by Congressional colleagues and staff including members of the Doctor’s Caucus, Energy & Commerce Committee, and the Georgia delegation.
We begin our day with a meeting with Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the CDC, Dr. Nirav Shah, Principal Deputy Director of the CDC, and key CDC staff members, as we discuss their priorities for the center. Next, we meet with CDC leadership for readiness and response, public health data, surveillance and technology and forecasting and outbreak analytics to discuss lessons from COVID-19, data modernization, authorities, and forecasting. Reviewing what we did right and wrong during the pandemic, what we can do better and what we need to do differently in the future is vitally important for us to understand and is one of the primary reasons for our visit today.
Afterwards, we tour the laboratory training facility as well as the antimicrobial resistance labs to learn more of the important work the CDC does in detecting and diagnosing diseases around the world.
After a roundtable discussion with fellow pharmacist, Dr. Christopher Jones, Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control to discuss overdose prevention, we have a roundtable with CDC personnel to discuss public health workforce and infrastructure. Before departing, we meet again with Dr. Walensky and members of her leadership team to review our visit and discuss our concerns. |
Reps. Carter and Harshbarger with Dr. Christopher Jones |
Tuesday, April 11, 2023: Staying in Atlanta, this morning I have the honor of participating on a legislative panel at the National Rx and Illicit Drug Summit held at the Georgia World Congress Center. This is the largest, most influential event addressing the overdose crisis in our country that currently is killing over 300 Americans every day. Among the thousands of stakeholders attending this conference are multidisciplinary stakeholders who discuss the latest strategies for prevention, treatment, and recovery.
Afterwards, I head to Georgia Tech, where one of our former staff members, Zellie Duvall, is now working in government relations and has set up a tour for us today. We begin in the Marcus Nanotechnology Building where we see the Marcus Center for Therapeutic Cell Characterization and Manufacturing (MC3M) program that provides research and development (R&D) solutions for cell manufacturing.
Next, we head to the Krone Engineered Biosystems Building where we have a presentation on microneedle technology for improved pharmaceutical treatments before meeting with Georgia Tech President Angel Cabrera, who is doing a great job at this research university that is among the most respected in the country. In fact, for the second year in a row, Georgia Tech has been named among the top 20 universities in the U.S. with the highest amount of research and development (R&D) spending, a ranking especially significant because Georgia Tech is the only institution in the top 20 without a medical school.
After a great presentation from the Pathogen Genomic Center of Excellence, whose mission is to strengthen public health response to infectious disease threats, we head to the Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI), the southeast’s only comprehensive medical device innovation center.
Afterwards, I head back to the Georgia World Congress Center where I have a meeting with the Director of White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Dr. Rahul Gupta, to discuss the fentanyl epidemic in our country and how we can work together to address the situation. |
Rep. Carter and congressional delegation meets with CDC Director Walensky |
Wednesday, April 12, 2023: After traveling to Athens last night, I wake up at one of my alma maters, the University of Georgia, where I will be touring today. My day begins early as I travel to Bogart for a radio interview with Tim Bryant on WGAU as we discuss news of the day including H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, that we passed in the House recently.
Next, I head to the College of Pharmacy on the UGA campus where I meet with Pharmacy Dean Kelly Smith and together, we greet members of the Georgia State Board of Pharmacy who happen to be meeting at the college today.
Afterwards, Dean Smith and I meet with a group of pharmacy students for a roundtable discussion of professional issues and thoroughly enjoy the interaction with these future leaders of our profession. Next, I head to Hudson Hall on the Health Sciences Campus where I have a great visit to the UGA Cognitive Aging Research and Education Center (CARE) to learn of the great work they are doing to advance dementia care in rural Georgia.
After a tour of the UGA Health Sciences Campus and the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership with Dean Michelle Nuss, I head to the Georgia Center for Continuing Education where I meet with leadership from the College of Engineering to learn more of the great work they are doing.
Next, I walk over to the most impressive UGA athletic complex where I meet with Athletic Director Josh Brooks and staff to discuss legislation we are considering in Congress dealing with name, image and likeness (NIL) and tour the state of the art facility to learn how they are enhancing the holistic growth and development of student-athletes.
My final stop of a great visit is to the interdisciplinary STEM research building where I learn more about the engineering with nature program. Later, I have the pleasure of visiting with UGA President Jere Morehead who is doing a phenomenal job of leading one of the best public universities in the nation. |
Rep. Carter tours Augusta University - University of Georgia health partnership |
Thank you to everyone who sent in your videos in support of H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act. We appreciate your help and support!
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