The current crop of Republicans in office could not be making it more clear that they ran for those offices not to serve the public, but to destroy it. And while they're at it, personally enrich themselves a much as possible.
Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) has sponsored several bills that would have benefited a drug company in which he is the lead shareholder, a Daily Beast investigation has found.
Collins is also trying to make changes to a government program that would save the company millions of dollars if its drug is approved by the FDA.
Collins's office says he doesn't believe his bills represent a conflict of interest, but he is already accused by independent Office of Congressional Ethics of violating House ethics rules and U.S. securities law for his dealings with the drug company.
The change he wants to make that would save his company so much money is, of course, to the Medicaid program. Right now the program called 340B requires pharmaceutical companies that provide drugs through the Medicaid system deeply discount those sales to certain hospitals. Most of those drugs are infusions drugs that are expensive—some costing tens of thousands for a single treatment—and treat some of the most deadly diseases. The 340B program ensures that even poor people have access to the potentially life-saving treatment. Collins doesn't think that's necessary, so he's trying to get these drugs (one of which his company produces) out of the program in one of the four bills he's written that would help his company, Innate Immunotherapeutics.
This is the same guy who admitted that the tax bill was written entirely for big donors and said "who cares" about public opposition to it. Which is entirely in keeping with his refusal to see how his legislation written for the purpose enriching his company could possibly be a problem. It's just how these guys roll.
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