House|Senate
111th Congress, Vote 377; Senate #3590
Authorizing Importation of Prescription Drugs
Official Title: An act entitled The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
S Amdt 2793: Authorizing Importation of Prescription Drugs
Senate rejected the amendment Dec. 15, 2009, 51-48
This bill would have allowed the import of prescription pharmaceuticals from registered exporters in Canada and other countries, allowing for less expensive drugs for American consumers. Though initially supported by many Democrats and some Republicans, the bill lost the support of President Obama as he sought the support of the pharmaceutical industry for health care reform.
Why supporters pushed for this bill
- The nonpartisan Congressional Budget office estimated that this plan would save the federal government $19 billion over the next decade.
Why opponents tried to stop the bill
- The FDA has indicated that it has no way of overseeing the safety of the drugs imported from abroad.
- Both the Administration and Congressional liberals feared that the pharmaceutical industry would turn on reform legislation if this bill passed. It was more important, they reasoned, to ensure passage of a bill that would help millions of Americans who have no access to healthcare insurance.
12/15/2009 | Status: Senate amendment rejected |
More: select a member to see his or her other key health care votes.
Yes (51) Our pick | ||
---|---|---|
D | Mark Begich | AK |
R | Lisa Murkowski | AK |
R | Jefferson Sessions | AL |
R | Richard Shelby | AL |
D | Blanche Lincoln | AR |
D | Mark Pryor | AR |
R | John McCain | AZ |
D | Barbara Boxer | CA |
D | Dianne Feinstein | CA |
D | Michael Bennet | CO |
R | George LeMieux | FL |
D | Bill Nelson | FL |
R | Charles Grassley | IA |
D | Thomas Harkin | IA |
R | Michael Crapo | ID |
R | James Risch | ID |
R | Mitch McConnell | KY |
R | David Vitter | LA |
R | Susan Collins | ME |
R | Olympia Snowe | ME |
D | Debbie Stabenow | MI |
D | Alan Franken | MN |
D | Amy Klobuchar | MN |
R | Christopher Bond | MO |
D | Claire McCaskill | MO |
R | Roger Wicker | MS |
D | Kent Conrad | ND |
D | Byron Dorgan | ND |
R | Mike Johanns | NE |
D | Ben Nelson | NE |
D | Jeanne Shaheen | NH |
D | Jeff Bingaman | NM |
D | Tom Udall | NM |
D | Sherrod Brown | OH |
R | Thomas Coburn | OK |
D | Jeff Merkley | OR |
D | Ron Wyden | OR |
D | Arlen Specter | PA |
R | Jim DeMint | SC |
R | Lindsey Graham | SC |
D | Tim Johnson | SD |
R | John Thune | SD |
R | Lamar Alexander | TN |
R | Bob Corker | TN |
R | John Cornyn | TX |
R | Kay Hutchison | TX |
D | Jim Webb | VA |
D | Patrick Leahy | VT |
I | Bernard Sanders | VT |
D | Russell Feingold | WI |
D | Herbert Kohl | WI |
No (48) | ||
---|---|---|
R | Jon Kyl | AZ |
D | Mark Udall | CO |
D | Christopher Dodd | CT |
I | Joseph Lieberman | CT |
D | Thomas Carper | DE |
D | Edward Kaufman | DE |
R | Saxby Chambliss | GA |
R | John Isakson | GA |
D | Daniel Akaka | HI |
D | Daniel Inouye | HI |
D | Roland Burris | IL |
D | Richard Durbin | IL |
D | Evan Bayh | IN |
R | Richard Lugar | IN |
R | Samuel Brownback | KS |
R | Pat Roberts | KS |
R | Jim Bunning | KY |
D | Mary Landrieu | LA |
D | John Kerry | MA |
D | Paul Kirk | MA |
D | Benjamin Cardin | MD |
D | Barbara Mikulski | MD |
D | Carl Levin | MI |
R | Thad Cochran | MS |
D | Max Baucus | MT |
D | Jon Tester | MT |
R | Richard Burr | NC |
D | Kay Hagan | NC |
R | Judd Gregg | NH |
D | Frank Lautenberg | NJ |
D | Robert Menendez | NJ |
R | John Ensign | NV |
D | Harry Reid | NV |
D | Kirsten Gillibrand | NY |
D | Charles Schumer | NY |
R | George Voinovich | OH |
R | James Inhofe | OK |
D | Robert Casey | PA |
D | John Reed | RI |
D | Sheldon Whitehouse | RI |
R | Robert Bennett | UT |
R | Orrin Hatch | UT |
D | Mark Warner | VA |
D | Maria Cantwell | WA |
D | Patty Murray | WA |
D | John Rockefeller | WV |
R | John Barrasso | WY |
R | Michael Enzi | WY |
Not Voting (1) | ||
---|---|---|
D | Robert Byrd | WV |