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A CONGRESSMAN accused of helping the pharmaceutical industry flood the United States with addictive opioids has withdrawn his name from consideration to be the country’s drug czar.
“Rep. Tom Marino has informed me that he is withdrawing his name from consideration as drug czar. Tom is a fine man and a great congressman!” President Trump announced on Twitter Tuesday morning.
Trump announced the withdrawal a day after saying he would be “looking into” the damning report about the Pennsylvania Republican’s cozy ties to drug companies.
“He didn’t want to have even the perception of a conflict of interest with drug companies or, frankly, insurance companies,” Trump told Fox News Radio in an interview. Marino did not comment. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called Marino’s move the “right decision.”
Trump had tapped Marino last month to become his administration’s drug czar, a post requiring Senate approval.
Marino’s chances took a major blow after a Washington Post and “60 Minutes” joint investigation revealed his role in passing an industry-friendly law last year that made it harder for the Drug Enforcement Administration to crack down on drug companies. The legislation allowed the companies to overwhelm small markets across America with opioids, worsening a public health crisis that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
The law passed under former President Barack Obama with unanimous support in Congress, but several lawmakers said this week they did not realize the dangers it would pose, or the role Marino played in putting it together.
Marino was an early supporter of Trump’s campaign, and Trump continued to speak favorably about him even after the report aired. But Trump said Monday he will “make a change” to the nomination if he felt it necessary.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va., photo below), who wrote a letter to Trump telling him to dump Marino, praised the decision.
“Thanks for recognizing we need a drug czar who has seen the devastating effects of the problem,” Manchin tweeted to Trump Tuesday morning.
“I look forward to working with @realDonaldTrump to find a drug czar that will serve #WV and our entire country.”
Trump labeled the opioid crisis a national emergency in August, but has yet to make an official declaration. He said Monday he plans to do so next week. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said he was going to review the law Marino ushered in.
Hours after Trump announced Marino’s withdrawal, Politico reported that Trump is considering nominating a former pharma executive, Alex Azar, to become the next Health and Human Services Secretary. THE SENATE moved closer Tuesday to a rare, bipartisan deal to fix parts of the Affordable Care Act as a pair of leading senators announced an agreement designed to stabilize health insurance markets.
The deal — which was blessed by President Trump — still faces significant hurdles in Congress, particularly opposition from some conservative Republicans who want nothing less than a complete repeal of the 2010 law.
But the announcement of the compromise worked out by Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the committee’s senior Democrat, nonetheless marks an important breakthrough in the nation’s more than seven-year battle over the health care law.
The deal would reinstate federal payments to insurers that Trump cut off last week, offering millions of Americans some relief from rising premiums and shaky insurance markets. In a nod to Republicans, it would give states limited new flexibility to offer cheaper, less generous health plans.
“For the next two years, we want to make sure people can buy insurance at affordable prices,” Alexander said. “There is an emerging, encouraging consensus, and we’ll see how far it goes.”