Warren, Wyden, Sanders Press RFK Jr. on Big Pharma Influence Following Mar-a-Lago Dinners

RFK Jr. joined Trump’s “million dollar” dinners with Pharma execs, raising questions about promises to “clean up corruption” and industry’s influence on key policies to lower drug costs
“You owe the American public an explanation for why you took part in PhRMA’s influence-peddling events with President Trump.”
Text of Letter (PDF)
Washington, D.C. –U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Senate Finance Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), pressed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his promises to “clean up corruption” and “stop the revolving door between industry and government,” following reports that Kennedy attended multiple “million-dollar” dinners with Big Pharma executives at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.
According to theWall Street Journal, healthcare executives wrote checks for millions of dollars to attend at least six private dinners with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Kennedy attended several of these dinners, despite being a longtime Big Pharma critic and leading previous proposals to beat back the industry’s influence — raising questions about Big Pharma’s ability to throw its weight around during the Trump Administration.
“It is unclear why you attended private dinners with Big Pharma executives at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club following your promises to ‘clean up corruption’ and 'stop the revolving door between industry and government,’”wrote the lawmakers.
The pharmaceutical executives who attended Trump’s dinners alongside RFK Jr. have repeatedly called on the Administration to stop the Medicare drug negotiations that have already lowered prescription costs and could save taxpayers as much as $100 billion by 2032. Big Pharma stands to profit immensely from President Trump’s abandonment of this and other policies that would bring drug prices down, such as patent reform. PhRMA officials have continued to lobby President Trump to weaken drug price negotiations in the months since the dinners.
“The dinners may have served as an opportunity for Big Pharma to gain insider access to both you and President Trump,”continued the lawmakers.
At Kennedy’s swearing-in ceremony last month, he committed to “end the corruption, end the corporate capture” of regulatory agencies like HHS by Big Pharma, additionally promising to remove regulatory panel members with conflicts of interest, and provide “radical transparency.” His presence at these lobbying dinners stands in stark contrast with these commitments, and raises questions about the policies  he may pursue at HHS.
“You owe the American public an explanation for why you took part in PhRMA’s influence-peddling events with President Trump, what happened at these meetings, and whether they will affect your commitment to ensuring that Americans receive the relief they deserve from high drug prices,”concluded the lawmakers.
Senator Warren led efforts to oppose RFK Jr.’s nomination and subsequent confirmation for his conflicts of interest and dangerous views on vaccines:
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