Hillary Clinton Announces Plan to Combat High Prescription Drug Prices

On Friday, Hillary Clinton announced a plan to combat the rising cost of prescription drugs, particularly the excessive rise in costs of live saving prescriptions like the EpiPen. Clinton’s plan would create a federal team to monitor drug prices and track increases. Her plan also provides several actions the government could take when drug prices have been raised excessively such as fines and increased access to treatment programs. An outline of Clinton’s proposal is below, and the full plan can be read on The Briefing.

• Making alternatives available and increasing competition
• Emergency importation of safe treatments
• Penalties for unjustified price increases to hold drug companies accountable and fund expanded access
• Dedicated oversight to protect consumers
• Strong new enforcement measures to respond when there are unjustified, outlier price increases that threaten public health
  • Directly intervening to make treatments available, and supporting generic and alternative manufacturers that enter the market and increase competition to bring down prices
  • Broadening access to safe, high-quality generic and alternative competitors through emergency importation
  • Holding drug makers accountable for unjustified price increases with new penalties – and using the funds to expand access and competition
• Cap monthly and annual out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs to save patients with chronic or serious health conditions hundreds or thousands of dollars
• Clear out the FDA generic backlog
• Prohibit “pay for delay” arrangements that keep generic competition off the market
• Ensure American consumers are getting value for their drugs
• Stop direct-to-consumer drug company advertising subsidies, and reinvest funds in research
• Require drug companies that benefit from taxpayers’ support to invest in research, not marketing or profits
• Allow Medicare to negotiate drug and biologic prices and demand higher rebates for prescription drugs in Medicare

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: The Briefing, The New York Times

Clinton Proposes Protections for Small Business

On Thursday, Hillary Clinton and her campaign released her proposal to protect small businesses that do business with larger businesses. Clinton cited the failure of Republican Donald Trump’s Atlantic City casino as an example of a decision that harmed a number of small, local businesses. The key point of the plan to prevent big business from stiffing small businesses when the bill is due. The plan would give small business owners the tools to fight back. The full proposal can be read on The Briefing, but an outline of the plan is below:

• Enhance legal protections for small businesses that are repeatedly stiffed by large firms and give them better tools to protect themselves against predatory behavior by large companies.
• Use the leverage of more than $400 billion in federal government contracting to encourage businesses to pay their suppliers in full and on time.
• Expand working capital for small businesses so they can thrive and grow, and weather difficulties when larger customers stiff them or do not pay on time.
• Strengthen oversight and penalties when large companies repeatedly stiff smaller businesses and give small businesses better tools to protect themselves against predatory behavior.
  • Ensure federal regulatory oversight of proven bad actors.
  • Stop large companies from using expensive litigation hurdles to deny small businesses their right to a remedy – and give small businesses recourse to take on predatory behavior.
• Use the leverage of more than $400 billion in federal government contracting to ensure big businesses pay their suppliers on time.
  • Push for prompt payment through the power of the federal purse.
  • Expedite payments to federal contractors.
  • Increase federal contracting with small businesses.
• Expand support for working capital so small businesses can grow and thrive.
  • Expand access to working capital.
  • Lower working capital fees for small businesses in underserved communities.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: The Briefing, The Washington Post

Hillary for America Statement on FBI Director Comey’s Testimony Before House Committee

On Thursday, FBI Director James Comey appeared before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to answer questions about the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email practices as Secretary of State. House Republicans grilled Comey on the details and the scope of the investigation. Comey explained that there was not a case against Clinton because the material that should have not been shared via email was not marked properly. He also denied claims that the Justice Department worked with Clinton and her allies to ensure no charges were leveled against her.

Hillary for America National Press Secretary Brian Fallon released the following statement regarding the Comey’s testimony:

“Despite the partisan motivations of this hearing, we are glad it took place and that Director Comey had the opportunity to expand upon his remarks from earlier this week. Director Comey’s testimony clearly knocked down a number of false Republican talking points and reconciled apparent contradictions between his previous remarks and Hillary Clinton’s public statements. The Director’s explanations shut the door on any remaining conspiracy theories once and for all. While Republicans may try to keep this issue alive, this hearing proved those efforts will only backfire.”

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: Politico, The Washington Post, Politico, The Los Angeles Times

House Benghazi Committee Releases Final Report

The House Select Committee on Benghazi concluded its multi-year investigation into the terrorist attack on the United States Diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. The attack resulted in the death of U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith. After reviewing evidence and conducting countless interviews, the committee released its findings at the end of June.

There has been controversy surrounding the committee since its creation in 2014. Democrats have accused Republicans as using the attacks in Benghazi as a way to harm Hillary Clinton’s presidential aspirations. Its critics point to the endless investigations, many of which concluded before the committee was created in 2014. Because of this, the Republican majority and the Democratic minority of the committee have agreed on little. In fact, they even have separate websites covering the investigation. These divisions were made more apparent when Clinton testified for over 10 hours before the committee in October 2015.

On June 27, the minority members of the committee released their findings in a report led by Representative Elijah Cummings. In the report, the minority members focus on the way the committee has acted and the cost to tax payers for an investigation that ultimately yielded no new findings. They also complained that they were largely left out the process of writing the primary report that was released the next day. The report, which consists of 340 pages, is primarily a criticism of the handling of the investigation by the Republicans on the committee and their limited focus on Clinton.

The Republicans released their final report on June 28, a day after the Democrats. In 869 pages, the committee’s Republicans, led by Representative Trey Gowdy, harshly criticized the State Department, Defense Department, and CIA for failing to fully understand the situation that led to the attack in Benghazi. The report criticizes the delayed action by the Obama administration following the attacks. Overall, the committee failed to find any new evidence that changed the narrative of the attack nor could they prove that Clinton was in any way negligent. Instead, the report largely blames systemic issues for the poor response to the attack.

While the committee is responsible for discovering that Clinton used a private email server as Secretary of State, the findings of the committee largely echo that of an investigations conducted by the State Department in 2012 and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2013. During the Senate hearings in January 2013, Clinton accepted full responsibility for the State Department’s failures leading up to and following the attack. She also spoke about security funding that was cut by Congress arguing that those cuts have made United States diplomatic posts less secure around the world and she urged Congress to increase funding to ensure the safety of diplomats.

Since the release of the report early this week, Clinton has been asked for her thoughts. While she has not had much to say, she did offer a comment late this week saying, “I’ll leave it to others to characterize this report, but I think it’s pretty clear it’s time to move on.”

While many agree that it is time to move on, we want to ensure that the report, and every other report released on the Benghazi investigation are fully available to readers in the interest of full transparency. Therefore, we have gathered all the internal investigations and reports into the Benghazi attack into one place. Below, you will find a collection of websites for each the investigative committees as well as a collection of hearings and reports released by Congress and the State Department.

• House Select Committee on Benghazi Majority Website
• House Select Committee on Benghazi Minority Website
• House Republican Investigation of Benghazi Website
• U.S. State Department Accountability Review Board

Date	Investigator	Type
October 10, 2012	House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform	Hearing
November 15, 2012	House Committee on Foreign Affairs (Part 1)	Hearing
November 15, 2012	House Committee on Foreign Affairs (Part 2)	Hearing
December 2012	State Department Accountability Review Board	Report
December 20, 2012	Senate Committee on Foreign Relations	Hearing
January 23, 2013	House Committee on Foreign Affairs	Hearing
February 7, 2013	Senate Committee on Armed Services	Hearing
April 23, 2013	Progress Report by the House Republican Conference	Report
May 8, 2013	House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform	Hearing
September 16, 2013	House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform	Report
September 18, 2013	House Committee on Foreign Affairs	Hearing
September 19, 2013	House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform	Hearing
January 15, 2014	Senate Select Committee on Intelligence	Report
February 7, 2014	House Foreign Affairs Committee	Majority Report
September 17, 2014	House Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attacks in Benghazi, Libya	Hearing
January 27, 2015	House Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attacks in Benghazi, Libya	Hearing
October 22, 2015	House Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attacks in Benghazi, Libya	Hearing
June 27, 2016	House Select Committee on Benghazi	Minority Report
June 28, 2016	House Select Committee on Benghazi	Majority Report

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: The Washington Post, The New York Times, NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post

Hillary Clinton Statement on Passage of Puerto Rico Debt Bill

On Wednesday, Congress passed a debt relief plan for Puerto Rico which has begun defaulting on its debts. The bill has been sent to President Barack Obama for his signature. The bill includes a number of provisions including the creation of an oversight committee. Hillary Clinton released a statement in which she expressed her concern over the creation and appointments to the committee. She vowed to continue working with Puerto Rico if elected president, and promised to work to bring more benefits to the territory. A copy of Clinton’s statement is below:

“Puerto Rico’s continuing economic crisis has caused real suffering for the people of the island.  The bill the Senate passed today is the best chance we have of averting a fiscal crisis on July 1. The bill is by no means perfect, and I continue to have serious concerns about some of the provisions it contains. That’s why, as this bill is implemented, I will continue to stand with the people of Puerto Rico to ensure that the oversight board created by this legislation is made up of members who will act in the best interest of Puerto Ricans, and protect their health care, pensions, wages, and well-being. And it is past time that we put the interests of American citizens ahead of hedge fund profits—which is why I will fight with the people of Puerto Rico to put the island’s economy back on a stable and prosperous path, including by ensuring Puerto Rico is treated equitably under federal law.”

En español:

“La continua crisis económica de Puerto Rico ha causado gran sufrimiento en los puertorriqueños. El proyecto de ley aprobado hoy por el Senado es la mejor opción que tenemos en este momento para evitar una crisis fiscal el 1ro de julio. El proyecto no es para nada perfecto y continúo teniendo serias preocupaciones sobre algunas de las provisiones. Es por eso que a medida que la ley se implemente yo continuaré estando del lado del pueblo de Puerto Rico. Quiero asegurarme que la junta de supervisión creada por esta legislación esté compuesta por miembros que actúen trabajando por el mejor interés de los puertorriqueños, protegiendo su sistema de salud, sus pensiones, sus salarios y su bienestar. Desde hace tiempo deberíamos haber puesto los intereses de ciudadanos estadounidenses por encima de las ganancias de los gestores de fondos. Es por eso que lucharé junto con el pueblo de Puerto Rico para poner la economía de la Isla de vuelta en un camino de estabilidad y prosperidad, incluyendo asegurarnos de que Puerto Rico sea tratado con igualdad bajo la ley federal.”

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: The Wall Street Journal

Hillary Clinton Releases Statement on Proposed House Bill for Puerto Rican Debt Relief

Today, Hillary Clinton released a statement cautiously supporting a bill introduced in House of Representatives that would provide debt relief for Puerto Rico. The plan would introduce a federal oversight board to help Puerto Rico through the process of restructuring its $72 billion debt. In her statement, Clinton expressed her concern about a number of the bill’s key provisions, but said that it was a step forward in helping the Puerto Rican government deal with its debt crisis. Clinton’s statement is below:

“The House Natural Resources Committee reached an agreement on a bipartisan bill to address the Puerto Rican debt crisis. While I have serious concerns about several provisions in this bill, including the creation of an oversight board that would exert substantial control over Puerto Rico, I believe that we must move forward with this legislation. Otherwise, without any means of addressing this crisis, too many Puerto Ricans will continue to suffer. However, as this bill moves forward, I will work to ensure that concerns about the oversight board are addressed and any such entity includes members that will act in the best interest of Puerto Ricans — protecting their health, their pensions, and their well-being. We can no longer sit idly by while hedge funds seek to maximize their profits at the island’s expense. That’s why I will continue to stand with the Puerto Ricans to ensure that they can put their economy back on a path of stability and prosperity, including the steps I am committed to take as President to provide equality in critical federal programs.”

En español:

“Ayer, el Comité de Recursos Naturales de la Cámara de Representantes llegó a un acuerdo sobre un proyecto de ley bipartidista para enfrentar la crisis de deuda de Puerto Rico. Aunque tengo algunas dudas sobre varias secciones de este proyecto de ley, incluyendo la creación de una junta de supervisión que ejerce control sobre Puerto Rico, creo que es un paso adelante, aunque debemos seguir trabajando en esta legislación. De lo contrario, y sin ningún medio para hacerle frente a esta crisis, muchos puertorriqueños seguirán sufriendo. Sin embargo, a medida que este proyecto de ley continúe su proceso en el Congreso, voy a trabajar para asegurarme de que las preocupaciones por la junta de supervisión sean atendidas y que cualquier entidad que sea instituida debe incluir a miembros que actuarán en el mejor interés de nuestros cociudadanos en Puerto Rico. Los cuales deben de proteger la salud pública, las pensiones y el bienestar de todos. Ya no podemos quedarnos con los brazos cruzados mientras que algunos fondos de inversones buscan maximizar sus ganancias a costa de la isla. Es por eso que voy a seguir apoyando al pueblo de Puerto Rico hasta que se logre la estabilidad de su economía y la prosperidad, incluyendo los pasos que estoy comprometida a tomar como presidenta para lograr la igualdad en los programas federales cruciales.”

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: Washington Post

Clinton Unveils Wall Street Plan

MANCHESTER, NH – SEPTEMBER 19: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton raises her arms stands on stage during the New Hampshire Democratic Party Convention at the Verizon Wireless Center on September 19, 2015 in Manchester, New Hampshire. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

On Thursday, Hillary Rodham Clinton unveiled her plan to regulate Wall Street and protect Americans. In an op-ed on Bloomberg she explained her plan and her reasoning for a number of its points. She then released details of the plan on The Briefing. The plan is very detailed and it would be impossible to insert the entire plan into this post. We have summarized the main points below:

• Defend and preserve Dodd-Frank
  • Veto any legislation that attempts to weaken the law
  • Fight Republican attempts to repeal it
• Reduce dangerous risks in the financial system
  • Impose a “risk fee” on the liabilities with of banks with more than $50 billion in assets
  • Reorganize, downsize, or break apart firms that are too large and too risky
  • Increase oversight of the “shadow banking” system to reduce risk
  • Introduce high-frequency trading tax for the stock markets
  • Impose compensation rules on senior management of banking institutions that suffer losses that threaten its financial health
  • Strengthen the Vlocker Rule (which prohibits banks from making risky or speculative trading bets with taxpayer-backed money)
  • Increase transparency in the banking system
  • Introduce international cooperation to curb excessive risk-taking
  • Increase the financial system’s security against cyber attacks
• Hold individuals and corporations responsible when they break the law or put the system at risk
  • Ensure individual accountability when prosecuting wrongdoing
  • Ensure that fines affect the bonuses of executives, supervisors, and employees with misconduct takes place on their watch
  • Prohibit individuals in financial services from working in the industry after being convicted of egregious crimes
  • Extend the statute of limitations for financial fraud
  • Strongly prosecute insider traders
  • Create guidelines for that ensure transparency and accountability
  • Require that corporations admit to wrongdoing as a condition of settlement agreements
  • Increase transparency of corporate settlements
  • Restrict SEC waivers for repeat offenders
  • Give prosecutors the resources to punish law-breakers
  • Strengthen the SEC and CFTC
  • Increase maximum penalties for SEC and CFTC actions
  • Reward whistleblowers for bringing illegal activities to attention of authorities
• Ensure that the financial systems serves investors and consumers, not just itself
  • Make sure that Wall Street helps Main Street grow and prosper
  • Protect all Americans from unfair and deceptive practices that put their earned income at risk

Clinton’s plan protects hard working Americans while ensuring that those who threaten the economy and financial system as a whole are held accountable. You can read the plan in full on The Briefing and read her op-ed on Bloomberg. She summed up her plan saying, “The bottom line is that we can never allow what happened in 2008 to happen again. Just as important, we have to encourage Wall Street to live up to its proper role in our economy — helping Main Street grow and prosper. With strong rules of the road and smart incentives, the financial industry can help more young families buy that first home, make it possible for entrepreneurs to create new small businesses and support hardworking Americans saving for retirement. My plan will help us unlock that potential. We’ll create good-paying jobs, raise incomes and help families afford a middle-class life, with less speculation and more growth — growth that’s strong, fair and long-term. That’s what I’m fighting for in my campaign, and that’s what I’ll do as president.”

Tonight, Clinton will present an award during the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Gala, and she will attend a private fundraiser in Washington, DC. For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: Bloomberg, The Briefing, The New York Times, Business Insider