WASHINGTON — The very next day after Rep. Scott Peters attempted to torpedo House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s signature drug pricing bill by gathering a cadre of moderates to challenge the measure, pharmaceutical industry executives and lobbyists flooded his campaign with cash, according to campaign finance disclosures.
Peters, a California Democrat, made waves in early May when he co-led a letter with nine other moderate Democrats taking a stand against the part of Pelosi’s painstakingly crafted drug pricing bill that would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices — especially because Peters voted for the same bill in 2019 and 2020. Democrats have control of the House by a narrow margin, so the signatories’ opposition would essentially mean the bill can’t pass as is. Drug lobbyists largely viewed it as a death knell for the package.
Peters sent his letter to Pelosi calling for “bipartisan” drug pricing legislation on May 3. Over the next two days, he received $19,600 from pharmaceutical industry CEOs and lobbyists for the brand drug lobby PhRMA.
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