Rose, Delgado Introduce Legislation to Ban Political Contributions from Opioid Manufacturers

Statement

Congressman Max Rose joined fellow New York Congressman Antonio Delgado today in introducing legislation to halt political contributions from opioid manufacturers. The Save Lives Act would prohibit donations from corporate political action committees (PACs) of pharmaceutical companies that manufacture opioids.

"After poisoning our children and killing our loved ones, opioid manufacturers should not be able to flood Washington with corporate PAC money to buy protection from prosecution," Rose said. "We must end the corruption and work to bring justice to those impacted by their reckless and dangerous actions."

"Addressing the opioid crisis must also include rooting out the corrupting influences that perpetuate it. The opioid crisis is deeply prevalent in New York, especially in our rural communities, and yet pharmaceutical companies and special interests continue to have free rein to advance their agenda by lining the pockets of lawmakers in Washington," Delgado said. "The Save Lives Act will take important steps to limit the influence of opioid manufacturers and make sure our Representatives work for the people they serve--not special interests."

The Save Lives Act would prohibit drug manufacturers' corporate PACs from supporting federal candidates. Last week, Rose was joined by Delgado in introducing legislation banning all corporate PACs, limiting the influence of corporate special interests in politics. In the 2018 election cycle, 1,732 corporate PACs gave more than $400 million to federal campaigns--more than any other type of PAC--including contributing more than $185 million directly to candidates.

"Eliminating Big Pharma's stranglehold over Congress is a powerful step in addressing the opioid crisis," said End Citizens United Action Fund President Tiffany Muller. "For too long, Big Pharma and its unlimited money has prevented action and progress on issues that affect the lives of the American people. Rep. Delgado and Rose's bill is common-sense legislation that will prevent the companies perpetuating the opioid epidemic from buying off politicians. End Citizens United thanks Reps. Delgado and Rose for their continued leadership and commitment to rooting out Big Pharma's undue influence over our politics."

Rose has made combating the opioid epidemic and raising awareness around the disease of addiction a top priority. As part of the National Defense Authorization Act, both the House and Senate passed Rose's bipartisan Fentanyl Sanctions Act, which will apply sanctions on drug manufacturers in China who knowingly provide fentanyl to traffickers, transnational criminal organizations like those in Mexico who mix fentanyl with other drugs and traffic them into the U.S. and financial institutions that assist them. Following a bipartisan push by Rose to increase funding for opioid prevention and treatment efforts, the House of Representatives passed legislation that increases funding to the agency responsible for supporting these efforts by $129 million.

Additionally, Rose has urged the Department of Justice to formally bring criminal charges against Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family that owns it. Rose was joined by New Yorkers who have been impacted by the opioid epidemic in slamming the proposed settlement deals and Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy filing as an attempt to evade an admission of guilt and deny justice to the victims.

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