bluewash

<div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/12/pharma-lobby-poured-millions-into-darkmoney-groups/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/12/pharma-lobby-poured-millions-into-darkmoney-groups/</a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div>pharmaceutical companies’ top lobbying group funneled millions of dollars to prominent “dark money” groups that pushed industry friendly messages to lawmakers and 2020 voters. The <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/pharmaceutical-research-manufacturers-of-america/summary?all=2020&id=D000000504" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America</a> raised nearly $527 million last year and spent roughly $506 million, <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7335117-PhRMA-990-Fiscal-Year-2019.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">new tax returns</a> obtained by OpenSecrets reveal. That’s a record haul for the organization, which is funded by the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies.The trade association made its largest political donation of 2019 — $4.5 million — to the American Action Network, a dark money group that backs House Republicans. The conservative nonprofit and its pharmaceutical industry donor share disdain for proposals to regulate the price of prescription drugs. The same year it received PhRMA’s donation, the American Action Network launched <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/11/big-pharma-bankrolled-conservative-groups-tax-returns-show/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">several multi-million dollar ad campaigns</a> opposing President <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/2020-presidential-race/donald-trump/candidate?id=N00023864" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Donald Trump</a>’s proposal to let Medicare negotiate drug prices. This year, the group launched multi-million dollar ad campaigns opposing <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2020/01/07/american-action-network-backs-limited-drug-pricing-reform/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">House Democrats’ bill</a> to lower drug prices and ads <a href="https://americanactionnetwork.org/press/aan-releases-3-new-ads-continuing-4-million-advocacy-effort-to-pass-h-r-19/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">boosting vulnerable Republicans</a> who supported an alternative bill considered <a href="https://khn.org/morning-breakout/house-republicans-to-offer-up-their-own-plan-to-combat-high-drug-prices-to-counter-dems-aggressive-bill/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">much friendlier</a> to drugmakers. The alliance between drugmakers and GOP groups isn’t new. PhRMA has given $14.6 million to the American Action Network since 2016. In that time, the American Action Network became a major contributor to GOP causes. During the 2020 election cycle, it gave $26.4 million to the <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/detail.php?cycle=2020&cmte=C00504530" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Congressional Leadership Fund</a>, the House Republicans’ top super PAC that helped unseat several freshman Democrats.In several key 2020 races, the American Action Network battled with a Democratic group that also received funding from drugmakers. PhRMA gave nearly $1.6 million to Center Forward, a dark money group aligned with moderate Blue Dog Democrats, last year. That nonprofit provided most of the funding for an <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/detail.php?cmte=C00568444&cycle=2020" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">allied super PAC</a> that spent $3.3 million supporting House Democrats. The pharma-backed GOP and Democratic groups went head-to-head in several key House races, including a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/fight-for-upstate-new-york-house-race-continues-in-court-11607299200" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">tightly contested New York race</a> that has come down to a handful of votes.Late last year, as Congress debated drug pricing bills, Center Forward <a href="https://readsludge.com/2019/12/12/pharma-funded-dark-money-group-hosts-house-staffers-for-california-junket/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">flew House staffers</a> to San Francisco to meet with drug company executives. The nonprofit’s board members have also lobbied for pharmaceutical interests. Republicans in Congress are the most vocal opponents of efforts to have the government regulate drug prices — a measure that would damage drugmakers’ profits — but Blue Dog Democrats also <a href="https://readsludge.com/2020/10/09/blue-dog-affiliated-group-runs-ads-for-big-pharma/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">pushed back</a> on more aggressive proposals to lower drug prices.<h2 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: inherit; margin: 1.5em 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; clear: left;">Drugmakers bankroll groups pushing industry talking points to Trump</h2>Prominent drugmakers have spent much of 2020 developing vaccines to fight COVID-19, and the threat of drug pricing legislation in Congress has died down amid the pandemic. But Trump has continued to push forward with executive actions on prescription drugs opposed by the pharmaceutical industry. PhRMA deployed creative tactics in an attempt to persuade Trump against following through on his campaign promise to aggressively lower drug prices. During the Trump era, the trade association has bankrolled conservative groups that have access to the president. The American Conservative Union, which hosts the annual <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/02/cpac-2020-gets-cozy/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Conservative Political Action Conference</a>, received $150,000 from PhRMA in 2019. Led by Trump ally and corporate lobbyist <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/revolving/rev_summary.php?id=33712" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Matt Schlapp</a>, the conservative nonprofit launched the Coalition Against Socialized Medicine late last year to <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/jun/6/coalition-against-socialized-medicine-challenges-m/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">oppose efforts</a> to regulate drug prices and enact single-payer health care proposals. Nearly all of the coalition’s members received funding from drugmakers within the last two years. Big pharma’s trade group gave $505,000 to American Commitment, $78,500 to Americans for a Balanced Budget and $60,000 to the Taxpayers Protection Alliance last year alone, according to new tax returns. The Taxpayers Protection Alliance launched a <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/528291-group-launches-ads-opposing-bipartisan-fix-to-surprise-medical-bills" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">six-figure ad campaign</a> last month aimed at killing “surprise” medical billing legislation and calling it a “handout” to big insurance companies.New tax returns also show that pharmaceutical manufacturers’ trade group gave $200,000 to the National Sheriffs Association, a nonprofit representing thousands of law enforcement officials. The group <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/07/sheriffs-target-trump-w-ads-stop-prescription-drugs/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">launched a six-figure ad campaign</a> last year warning against Trump’s proposal to import drugs from foreign countries, a measure bitterly opposed by drugmakers. Those ads specifically targeted Trump, airing in Washington, D.C., on his favorite Fox News programs.Trump ultimately <a href="https://khn.org/news/trump-approves-final-plan-to-import-drugs-from-canada-for-a-fraction-of-the-price/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">approved a plan</a> to import drugs from Canada in September, but its scope was limited. He also <a href="https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/fiercepharmapolitics-trump-unveils-favored-nation-drug-pricing-executive-order-and-pharma" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">moved ahead with a rule</a> that would allow Medicare to negotiate the cost of drugs based on the price foreign governments pay, another measure strongly opposed by drugmakers. Still, while Trump has moved ahead with industry-opposed measures, his GOP allies in Congress have not made drug pricing legislation a priority. Republican lawmakers and their aides are <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/11/big-pharma-bankrolled-conservative-groups-tax-returns-show/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">consistently fed</a> opinion pieces and ad campaigns from conservative groups urging them to reject “socialist price controls.”Republicans <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/09/gop-groups-attack-via-healthcare-talkingpoints/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">ran political ads</a> in 2020 that mirrored talking points from major healthcare industry players. Super PACs aligned with Senate Majority Leader <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/mitch-mcconnell/summary?cid=N00003389" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Mitch McConnell</a> (R-Ky.) attacked Democrats’ over their support for a public health insurance option, a proposal that could hurt drugmakers’ profits. Those ads cited a study from the Partnership For America’s Health Care Future, a conglomerate of insurers, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies that received $300,000 from PhRMA last year.<h2 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: inherit; margin: 1.5em 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; clear: left;">Longtime pharmaceutical ally gets seven-figure gift in retirement </h2>One of PhRMA’s largest 2019 gifts was a $2 million donation to the Orrin Hatch Foundation, a think tank and research library launched by former Sen. <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00009869" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Orrin Hatch</a> (R-Utah). The trade group gave $140,000 to the foundation between 2017 and 2018. Hatch, who retired in January 2019, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/sen-orrin-hatchs-influence-us-health-care/story?id=60120082" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">was known</a> as the pharmaceutical industry’s “man on the Hill” by the end of his 42-year tenure. Hatch helped shape current laws that regulate generic drugs and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/13/us/politics/utah-senator-crucial-ally-for-the-pacific-rim-trade-deal-is-now-its-main-hurdle.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">opposed measures</a> to limit drugmakers’ monopoly protections. As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Hatch was <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/417524-drug-industry-nervous-about-grassleys-new-role" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">considered the major roadblock</a> to drug pricing changes proposed by Democrats and Trump.the pharmaceuticals and health products industry <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary.php?ind=H04&cycle=All&recipdetail=M&sortorder=U" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">gave $2.8 million</a> to Hatch’s campaign committee since 1998, more than any member of Congress who didn’t run for president. When Hatch faced a primary challenge in 2012, PhRMA <a href="https://publicintegrity.org/politics/drug-lobby-gave-750000-to-pro-hatch-nonprofit-in-utahs-u-s-senate-race/" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">gave $750,000</a> to a super PAC boosting his reelection campaign. During Hatch’s final years in office, his allies reportedly <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/orrin-hatch-foundation-230555" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">asked pharmaceutical companies and K Street lobbyists for donations</a> to fund the Orrin Hatch Foundation. In 2018, the foundation <a href="https://publicintegrity.org/politics/companies-court-lawmakers-with-charitable-giving-but-dont-always-disclose-the-funds/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">invited major corporations</a>, including pharmaceutical giant <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/merck-co/summary?id=D000000275" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Merck</a>, to a luxury mountain resort for a fundraiser.While the foundation will serve as a library to catalogue Hatch’s government service and provide civic education, it has also put out policy reports on pressing issues. Its <a href="https://www.flipsnack.com/six40/biosimilars-report-final/full-view.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">most recent report</a> delves into how lawmakers can craft “sensible solutions to both foster innovative biologics and curb skyrocketing drug prices.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/07/sheriffs-target-trump-w-ads-stop-prescription-drugs/">https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/07/sheriffs-target-trump-w-ads-stop-prescription-drugs/</a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">ref</div><div>bringing in prescription drugs from other countries to reduce prices is an idea that has gained traction across the political spectrum, from Sen. <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00000528&cycle=CAREER" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Bernie Sanders</a> to President <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pres16/candidate.php?id=N00023864" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Donald Trump</a>.But the proposal, generally <a href="https://www.phrma.org/press-release/phrma-statement-on-florida-importation-proposal" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">criticized by pharmaceutical companies</a>, has faced additional opposition on the airwaves in recent weeks from a different kind of group: the <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=F201993&year=2019" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">National Sheriffs’ Association</a>.The association, a 501(c)(4) group representing thousands of law enforcement officials, has spent <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1y6IGYh9164DmYQWVXmfAGy8T2Gm-W2bVP5l8NbDglDk/edit?usp=sharing" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">more than $500,000</a> in the past few weeks to air TV ads opposing the importation of prescription drugs, according to FCC filings compiled from OpenSecrets’ <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/ad-data" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">political ad database</a>.The ads, which mostly target adults over the age of 55, have aired in the Washington, D.C., metro area on the local CBS and NBC affiliates, as well as on cable channels including ESPN, HGTV and Fox News. The ad buy included more than 600 spots, including dozens on shows that the president is known to watch, such as Hannity, Fox & Friends and Tucker Carlson Tonight.“We protect our communities from illegal imported fentanyl and counterfeit pills that often come from other countries,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbEYKK5kn2U" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">one ad</a> says. “Opening our borders to foreign drug importation will only increase the threat of counterfeits and escalate this crisis.”The association has previously cited research sponsored in part by pharmaceutical companies to support these statements. It has also, as recently as at least 2016, received grants from these companies to support some of its operations.In a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZc7Ka5SM5E&feature=youtu.be&t=5661" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">hearing</a> in front of the House Appropriations Committee earlier this year, former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said he had little worry about consumers buying drugs from Canada, but that the agency remained concerned about online pharmacies that purported to be from America’s northern neighbor.Research on counterfeit drugs from economist Roger Bate, visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, <a href="http://www.aei.org/publication/catch-22-credentialed-online-pharmacies-are-so-safe-that-peer-review-literature-is-no-longer-interested-in-results-showing-it/" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">has found</a> that foreign online pharmacies that are credentialed consistently export safe drugs.Importing prescription drugs from abroad is <a href="https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/fda-basics/it-legal-me-personally-import-drugs" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">illegal in most cases</a>, although <a href="http://files.kff.org/attachment/Kaiser-Health-Tracking-Poll-November-2016-Topline" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">surveys</a> suggest that millions of Americans do it anyway. States are allowed to import cheaper drugs from foreign countries, but only if the Department of Health and Human Services verifies their safety.Trump pledged to lower drug prices during his 2016 presidential campaign and has sought to fulfill this promise during his presidency, though prices <a href="https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2019/may/22/donald-trump/fact-checking-donald-trumps-claim-drug-prices-are-/" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">have remained</a> mostly the same. On Thursday, the White House <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/white-house-kills-key-drug-pricing-rule-to-eliminate-hidden-rebates/2019/07/11/ff595192-a3de-11e9-bd56-eac6bb02d01d_story.html?utm_term=.b49d660a3c04" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">backed off a proposal</a> that had been at the centerpiece of its efforts to reduce prices and would have eliminated industry rebates, encouraging drug makers to pass discounts to patients instead.The president <a href="https://www.apnews.com/444ad1c9d32a4e8da0a104e0ea47d00f" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">has endorsed</a> importing drugs from countries such as Canada on several occasions, but such a program has yet to be developed at a national level.The National Sheriffs’ Association <a href="https://www.sheriffs.org/NSA-Opposes-Drug-Importation-Legislation" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">adopted a resolution</a> opposing drug importation legislation in July 2017. When the Trump administration proposed a working group to explore safe ways to import drugs in August 2018, the association sent the president <a href="https://www.sheriffs.org/sites/default/files/NSA_Letter_Drug_Importation.pdf" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">a letter</a> outlining its members’ concerns. It argued that allowing imported prescription drugs would likely increase the flow of false or dangerous drugs into the United States and worsen the opioid epidemic.“Already overburdened law enforcement and regulatory capacity would be unable to ensure a safe prescription drug supply under importation,” the letter said.The association issued another <a href="https://www.sheriffs.org/National-Sheriffs%E2%80%99-Association-NSA-Issues-Statement-Opposing-Legislation-Prescription-Drug-0" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">statement</a> reiterating these concerns this past January, after members of Congress on both sides of the aisle <a href="https://www.finance.senate.gov/chairmans-news/grassley-klobuchar-introduce-legislation-to-permit-personal-importation-of-rx-drugs-from-canada" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">introduced</a> <a href="https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sweeping-plan-to-lower-drug-prices-introduced-in-senate-and-house" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">bills</a> that would allow patients and pharmacists to import drugs from Canada and other major countries.To explain the dangers posed by importation, both the letter from last August and the statement from January cited a <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/m1738/20170605_Report%20on%20Counterfeit%20Drugs.pdf" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">study published in June 2017</a> by the <a href="https://www.freehgroup.com/" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Freeh Group</a>, an international risk management firm. That study was commissioned by the Partnership for Safe Medicines, a 501(c)(6) organization with <a href="https://www.safemedicines.org/about-us/members" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">more than 60 members</a>, according to its website. Those members include both 501(c)(3) nonprofits and other 501(c)(6) groups, such as the <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=D000000504&year=2019" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America</a>, the premier trade association of pharmaceutical companies and the industry’s largest lobbying group.The National Sheriffs’ Association, meanwhile, is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, so it is not required to disclose its donors and does not do so voluntarily. According to IRS filings, it raised <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6188855-National-Sherrif-s-Assn-2016-990.html" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">$7.1 million</a> in revenue from October 2016 through September 2017.In the past, the association has partnered with pharmaceutical companies for other purposes. In 2016, it <a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/278437-how-perdue-pharma-and-the-nations-sheriffs-are-saving-lives" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">received a $350,000 grant</a> from Purdue Pharma to train sheriffs to use naloxone, the opioid-overdose reversal drug, and <a href="https://www.sheriffs.org/NSA-Receives-Grant-Raise-Awareness-of-Opioid-Epidemic" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">a grant</a> of an undisclosed amount from biopharmaceutical company Alkermes, Inc. to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic among law enforcement officers.the association did not return requests for comment as to whether the recent anti-import ad campaign was part of a partnership.Such 501(c)(4) groups are allowed to engage in political activity, so long as politics do not become their primary activity — a guideline that has been interpreted to mean that up to 49.9 percent of their funds can be spent on politics.The ads in the sheriffs’ association campaign are classified as issue advocacy ads, since they are political in nature but do not expressly advocate for a candidate. <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/ad-data/document?id=1864773415" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">FCC filings list</a> prescription medication as the issue of national importance in each ad.</div><div>===</div>