Stop the Revolving Door

It’s no secret that we have an opioid epidemic in this country. And the revolving door between federal agencies and the pharmaceutical companies they’re supposed to be regulating is part of the problem.

I’m sure some of you watched or read the explosive report that came out last month about former federal employees acting as powerful lobbyists for pharmaceutical corporations. They used their insider knowledge to help peddle addictive medication to our communities.

That’s just wrong.

That’s why I recently authored legislation which would institute a two year “cooling off” period before FDA and DEA officials could start lobbying for drug companies. To my mind, they already have too much power in Washington — they don’t need more help.

We need clear-headed regulators who aren’t thinking about how they can cash in on insider influence. They need to be thinking about how every decision from a pharmaceutical company affects Wisconsin families. I think this bill will get us closer.

Now, this is just one part of the equation.

This issue is deeply personal to me — I’ve talked to families all over Wisconsin ravaged by addiction. And I take every single heartbreaking story with me to the Senate and I tell my colleagues just what’s happening here. And I demand action.

That’s why I introduced the Combating the Opioid Epidemic Act, which would invest billions in communities in need, strengthen our addiction research, and shore up our prevention programs. It’s going to take that kind of ambitious, full-throttle work to curb this epidemic.

Our affected communities need our support so that they can find local solutions. I’m working hard to make that a reality.

You can read a little more about our ongoing work on this epidemic here, here, and here.

— Tammy