Ranking Member's Press

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 – In a major bipartisan vote, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) today held Steward Health Care CEO Dr. Ralph de la Torre in civil and criminal contempt for his failure to comply with the committee’s subpoena and absence from last week’s hearing.  This is the first time in modern American...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 – In light of Steward CEO Dr. Ralph de la Torre’s failure to comply with the committee’s subpoena and absence from last week’s hearing, the Senate HELP Committee will vote this Thursday to adopt two resolutions: one for civil enforcement and another for certification to the United States Attorney for criminal contempt.“Last...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 – Ahead of next week's hearing with Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Jørgensen, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP), today announced that CEOs of major generic pharmaceutical companies are willing to sell Ozempic to Americans for less than $100 per month at a profit....

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today held a discussion with experts on the outrageously high cost of diabetes and weight-loss drugs in America. At the meeting – which comes ahead of the committee hearing Sanders will be leading next week on the...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), tomorrow will hold a discussion with experts on the outrageously high cost of diabetes and weight-loss drugs in America. At the meeting – which comes ahead of the committee hearing Sanders will be leading next week...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 – Ahead of next week’s hearing, which will focus on the outrageously high prices that Novo Nordisk charges Americans for their blockbuster drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), announced today that more than 250 clinicians from...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and Ranking Member Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) today announced that, in light of Steward CEO Dr. Ralph de la Torre’s failure to comply with the committee’s subpoena and absence from today’s hearing, the Senate...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 – Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Ranking Member Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) today announced the witnesses who will provide testimony on the second panel for HELP’s hearing on the impacts of Steward Health Care’s bankruptcy. The hearing, titled “Examining the Bankruptcy...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today announced the committee will move forward with its hearing on Steward Health Care’s disastrous bankruptcy, despite CEO Dr. Ralph de la Torre’s refusal this week to comply with a bipartisan subpoena compelling...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today issued the following statement after the CEO of Steward Health Care, Dr. Ralph de la Torre, refused to appear before the Committee despite a bipartisan subpoena compelling his testimony: I am disappointed, but...

BURLINGTON, Vt., Aug. 27 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), on Tuesday issued the following statement after drugmaker Eli Lilly agreed to significantly lower the list price for the starter dose of its weight loss drug Zepbound: Last month, President Biden and I...

WASHINGTON, July 31 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today led the committee in a bipartisan 20-1 vote to reauthorize, expand, and strengthen the Older Americans Act (OAA) – critical legislation that will substantially increase funding for services for older Americans. This...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today introduced legislation to address the long COVID crisis that is affecting more than 22 million adults and 1 million children across the United States – and millions more around the globe. The Long COVID Research...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 – The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nomination of Mary Kay Lanthier, of Orwell, Vermont, to be the next District Court judge for the District of Vermont. President Biden nominated Lanthier at the joint recommendation of Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.). Her nomination was advanced by the...

WASHINGTON, July 30 – The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee this Wednesday, July 31, will hold a markup of critical bipartisan legislation to strengthen and modernize services for older Americans, bolster programs and research related to autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities, and advance programs...

NEWS: With Bipartisan Vote, Sanders Leads HELP Committee Investigation into Bankruptcy of Steward Health Care and Subpoenas Its CEO This is the first subpoena issued by the HELP Committee since 1981 WASHINGTON, July 25 – As private equity’s grip on the American health care system grows stronger and more dangerous, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.),...

WASHINGTON, July 24 – The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) announced last week that the committee will hold a bipartisan vote tomorrow, on Thursday, July 25, at 10:00 a.m. ET, to authorize an investigation into the bankruptcy of Steward Health Care and subpoena the company’s CEO.The subpoena would compel Dr. Ralph...

WASHINGTON, July 16 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released an interim report yesterday as part of the sweeping investigation he launched into Amazon’s unacceptable corporate greed and abysmal workplace safety practices. As part of this report, Sanders is making public, for...

WASHINGTON, July 2 – President of the United States, Joe Biden, and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), Sen. Bernie Sanders, today released a joint op-ed calling on Novo Nordisk and other pharmaceutical companies to stop ripping off the American people and substantially reduce the price of Ozempic,...

WASHINGTON, June 25 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) today released a new report detailing the coordinated and growing effort to undermine, dismantle, and privatize the American public education system. This report comes after Sanders led the committee in a hearing last...