Vermont Rep. Peter Welch introduced legislation on Wednesday aimed at repealing a section of the fiscal cliff bill that would funnel roughly $500 million in Medicare dollars to Amgen, the world’s largest biotechnology firm.
On Saturday the New York Times highlighted the provision, which doesn’t name Amgen specifically but gives the company two more years to sell a popular kidney dialysis drug without price restraints. It is the second time the measure has been inserted into legislation.
According to the Times, Amgen was the only company to lobby for this provision, and supporters of the extension are long-time beneficiaries of the company’s campaign spending.
“This 11th-hour, backroom deal confirms the American public’s worst suspicions of how Congress operates,” said Welch in a public statement on Wednesday. “As the nation’s economy teetered on the edge of a congressional-created fiscal cliff, lobbyists for a private, for-profit company seized an opportunity to feed at the public trough.
“Without scrutiny or debate, the American taxpayer was stuck with the $500 million tab. This special interest provision should have stood on its own merits with an up or down vote. It’s no wonder cockroaches and root canals are more popular than Congress.”
