Indivisibles,

Let’s talk about what’s going on with prescription drugs reform right now.

First, the obvious. We all know prescription drug costs are way, way too high in this country. Pharma companies get mountains of money from taxpayers to manufacture drugs mostly developed by public research. Then they use their monopoly power to gouge those same taxpayers on drug prices. Big Pharma makes eye-popping profits while seniors skip meals to pay for the drugs they need. It’s a racket and it has to stop.

Democrats have been promising to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for more than a decade. They ran on prescription drugs reform in 2018. They ran on it again in 2020. There’s a reason for that -- prescription drugs reform is MASSIVELY popular. Approval ratings for prescription drug pricing reform are right up there with approval ratings for adorable fluffy puppies like this one. 

The path to reforming this situation lies in the big recovery package that’s currently being debated in Congress. And here’s where we hit the problem.

The pharma companies have spent the last several months absolutely FLOODING Washington D.C. and members of Congress’ home districts with money -- campaign contributions, ads, you name it. They know they can already count on Republicans to have their backs, so they’re trying to peel off enough Democrats to prevent the Democratic party from acting.

And they won one battle earlier this month. Before a bill is voted on by the whole House, the language is drafted and voted out of the relevant committee. And in Energy and Commerce -- one of the committees responsible for drafting the bill language -- three House members -- Rep. Kathleen Rice of New York, Rep. Kurt Schrader of Oregon, and Rep. Scott Peters of California all voted to prevent Medicare from negotiating on drug prices. All the Republicans in the committee also opposed this, of course (they’re Republicans!) and so that meant that strong prescription drug pricing reforms couldn’t pass out of the committee.

This was a very disappointing setback. And frontliners -- the Members of Congress in purple and red districts, with uphill races next year -- were the first ones to call it out and to demand that the ultimate recovery package include the reforms. They want to pass this legislation, because they need to deliver on their campaign promises. After all, the best way to win in 2022 is to go big, go bold, and pass policies that make a difference in people’s lives.

But it’s not over, and I want to talk about what happens next. 

The folks who voted against this in committee probably thought it would fly under the radar. Members of Congress expect that their constituents will pay attention to their votes on a few huge pieces of legislation, but they usually think the stuff they do in committee will fly under the radar.

That’s why local Indivisible groups are so crucial. Indivisibles know their reps and watch them like hawks -- and we at the national level work together to make sure they’ve got the latest intel and support for their actions.

In Oregon, five local Indivisible groups sprang into action to share their disapproval with Rep. Schrader in a coalition letter calling him out for pocketing big money from Big Pharma. This week, Indivisible Clackamas CD-5 hosted another rally outside his office -- this time working with local partners groups like Our Revolution, Health Care for All, American Federation of Teachers, Rhythm Nation, and more. Wednesday's rally brought over fifty locals out on the sidewalk in front of Rep. Schrader's office, and featured local leaders and activists like Milwaukie Mayor Mark Gamba and this 9-year-old, who knows what’s up:

In New York, Rep. Rice tried to explain away her vote with a word salad letter to constituents. New York Indivisibles weren’t having it. Indivisible groups like Indivisible Nassau County joined with prescription drug activists across New York to protest outside her office. At the rally in front of her office, a rolling billboard passed by with a piece of simple truth for all of Rep. Rice's constituents to see: “Rep. Kathleen Rice voted to keep your drug prices high.” In addition to the calls and rally, Indivisibles in NY-04 have taken over their Twitter pages with a #FullPriceRice campaign that calls out Rep. Rice's hypocrisy for breaking her campaign promise from just a year ago to lower drug prices for her constituents.

Despite the disappointing vote in the Energy and Commerce Committee, House Democrats have used another committee to add the stronger prescription drug reforms language back into the final recovery bill. And in just a little while, that bill will come to the floor. When it gets there, these reps - and others, often in blue districts, who’ve gotten way too comfortable with pharma money -- will have to vote on it again. But thanks to the actions of Indivisibles on the ground, they’re going to know: they can vote the wrong way, but they can’t do it without real blowback from real people.

And of course, this is just one industry out of many that are currently doing their best to derail the recovery bill. Big Pharma isn’t the only group trying to buy off Democrats. Big Oil is balking at necessary climate action and the ultra-wealthy across the board are funding a lobbying spree to ensure their free ride doesn’t end. The days ahead might be choppy, but we know Indivisibles will be ready at every turn to expose the corporate influence and demand their Representatives and Senators deliver for people. 

If you want to be part of ensuring that our recovery is inclusive, click here to call your member of Congress today and demand they move the reconciliation package forward. This is important no matter who your elected official is -- every one of them needs to hear that their constituents demand a recovery package that will help us all. 

In solidarity,
Leah Greenberg
Co-Executive Director, Indivisible