Tauzin Denies Allegations About Discussions With PhRMA During Negotiations Over 2003 Medicare Law in Letter to Lawmakers

Former Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.), president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, on Monday in a letter sent to all member of Congress denied allegations that he began negotiations for the PhRMA position at the same time he, as chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, helped pass the 2003 Medicare law, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. In the letter, Tauzin writes that he has "endured repeated injury to [his] name and reputation as a result of the repetition of these false claims of impropriety." President Bush signed the Medicare law on Dec. 8, 2003, and Tauzin said that his first contact with PhRMA occurred after Jan. 15, 2004. Tauzin in an interview said that the allegations first appeared in a March 2004 article in The Hill and were repeated in recent months by House Democrats and advocacy groups. According to the Times-Picayune, House Democrats as part of "an anti-corruption campaign going into this fall's elections" have cited the "Republican's rapid rise from legislating to lobbying as an example of backroom deals that undermine public confidence." In January, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) cited "Tauzin's PhRMA employment, as well as 11th hour arm twisting by Republicans," when she called for an investigation into the passage of the Medicare law, the Times-Picayune reports. In addition, at a Feb. 1 news conference, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said that Tauzin was "ushering through a bill as he is negotiating his employment with PhRMA." Obama spokesperson Robert Gibbs said, "We want to make sure we close the revolving door that leads members of Congress from regulating industries to lobbying for them" (Walsh, New Orleans Times-Picayune, 3/7).