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FLOOR STATEMENT
OF
THE HONORABLE JOHN D. DINGELL

H.R. 4461, AGRICULTURE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FY 2001
CONFERENCE REPORT

October 11, 2000

I oppose this conference report, because I strongly oppose its drug reimportation provisions:

soon Americans will be taking substandard, adulterated, or counterfeit imported drugs because of these provisions;

these provisions will do nothing to help lower the price of prescription medicines, and are no substitute for prescription pharmaceuticals to senior citizens under Medicare;

because FDA is already overwhelmed by the burden of inspecting foreign manufacturers, it will not be able to handle the vast new responsibilities imposed on it; and,

in the coming years, FDA will be pilloried by politicians for failing to protect Americans from bad prescription drugs, when in fact the blame should fall squarely on politicians in the 106th Congress.

Make no mistake. This reckless legislation, which never went through committees with expertise or experience in these matters, will lead to needless deaths. The world pharmaceutical market is a far more dangerous place than my colleagues seem to understand. Congressional investigations showed this in the 1980's, and they show it now. My written statement elaborates on this point, and I ask unanimous consent that it be inserted into the record at the conclusion of my remarks.

My opposition to the drug reimportation provisions requires me to vote against this otherwise acceptable bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Prepared by the Committee on Energy and Commerce
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