(COMMON DREAMS) Deirdre Fulton, December 4, 2016 — U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have come out swinging against a heavily lobbied healthcare bill they say has been “hijacked” by Big Pharma.

The 21st Century Cures Act, poised to pass the House on Wednesday and the Senate soon after, would ostensibly advance medical innovation with increased funding for initiatives like Vice President Joe Biden’s cancer “moonshot” and Alzheimer’s research as well as provisions to accelerate the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval process.

“Will this Congress say that yes, we’re bought and paid for, or will we stand up and work for the American people?”
—Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Unsurprisingly, it has attracted significant interest from the pharmaceutical industry—according toKaiser Health News: “Other than major appropriations bills, a transportation spending bill, and an energy infrastructure funding bill, the Cures Act garnered more lobbying activity than any of the more than 11,000 bills proposed in the 114th Congress, an analysis of the [Center for Responsive Politics] data shows.”

Despite skepticism (pdf) from some liberal advocacy and labor groups, the bill is “expected to win support from other Democrats, who have been negotiating with Republicans for months,” The Hill reported Tuesday.

But in a floor speech Monday evening, Warren said the legislation is an example of how lawmakers are beholden to big-moneyed special interests.

“And when American voters say Congress is owned by big companies, this bill is exactly what they are talking about,” she said. “Now, we face a choice. Will this Congress say that yes, we’re bought and paid for, or will we stand up and work for the American people?”

Source: