Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Tuesday expressed his intention to vote against the confirmation of Monica Bertagnolli, President Joe Biden‘s nominee for director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What Happened: Sanders, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), announced his decision a day before the HELP committee is set to consider Bertagnolli’s nomination, along with other nominees for roles in agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In a statement, Sanders explained, "Dr. Monica Bertagnolli is an intelligent and caring person, but has not convinced me that she is prepared to take on the greed and power of the drug companies and health care industry and fight for the transformative changes the NIH needs at this critical moment."
"I intend to vote NO at her confirmation hearing on Wednesday. I have not asked any member of the Committee to follow my lead. This should be a vote of conscience."
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Why It Matters: The senator has been vocal about his opposition to the nomination, stating that he would not support it until the Biden administration outlined plans to tackle high prescription drug prices. Sanders eventually allowed the confirmation hearing to proceed after receiving a “commitment” from the White House to address this issue.
During the hearing, Sanders asked Bertagnolli if she would reinstate the "reasonable pricing clause" employed by the NIH in the late ’80s and ’90s. This clause stipulated that any drugs developed through public-private partnerships with the federal government needed to have "reasonable" pricing. The requirement was removed in 1995 after it was argued that it had deterred potential NIH partners.
Bertagnolli responded to Sanders’ question, stating that she believes the American people deserve a fair return on the investment that Congress has placed within the NIH and committed to ensuring that the benefits of NIH research are affordable and accessible to all the American people.
Photo by Evan El-Amin on Shutterstock
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