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I spoke on the House floor for substantial, certain funding to develop lifesaving cures and treatments. But the new version of the 21st Century Cures Act provides about a quarter of the funding per year as the version that I voted for last year—and this new funding isn’t even guaranteed. Patients deserve better, especially if the trade-off is loosening safety standards on drugs and medical devices while getting no relief from high drug prices. I hope a “no” vote will give my colleagues in the Senate a chance to try to make this bill a little better.

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin introduced legislation in 2015 to help address the issue but was met with indifference from his colleagues, despite Texas’ being one of the worst offending states. It is up to all of us to now replace that apathy with a distinct call to arms that catches the attention of our representatives.

A group of progressive Democratic lawmakers, including Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, have been asking the Administration to act on high prescription drug prices for months.“We already have leverage in the law to force down prices—why isn’t President Obama using it?” asks the group’s leader, Texas Representative Lloyd Doggett.