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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