Delgado's legislative priorities

Fritz Mayer
Posted 3/8/19

WASHINGTON, DC – Judging by the press releases coming from the office of Congressman Antonio Delgado, the Democratic majority of the House of Representatives is keeping a busy pace moving …

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Delgado's legislative priorities

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WASHINGTON, DC – Judging by the press releases coming from the office of Congressman Antonio Delgado, the Democratic majority of the House of Representatives is keeping a busy pace moving legislation forward.  A lot of the legislation likely won’t become law any time soon because of the Republican President and Senate, but the activity paints a clear picture of Democrat's and Delgado’s legislative priorities.

Net Neutraility

On March 8, a press release from Delgado’s office said that he has signed on as and original cosponsor to the Save the Internet Act, “which restores the net neutrality protections that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) repealed last year. Without net neutrality, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have the ability to completely block, slow down, or charge extra when consumers are visiting websites. Net neutrality protections require ISPs to treat all sites equally in order to ensure a free and open internet.”

Whether you’re a business owner trying to get your job done or a student working on your homework, your internet speed and access shouldn’t depend on the winners or losers that your internet provider picks,” Delgado said. “The rural communities in my district already struggle enough with internet access. I’m very glad to be joining the efforts in the House and Senate that will support rural communities here and enshrine broadly-supported, commonsense net neutrality protections into law.”

Negotiating the price of drugs

Earlier in the day, Delgado made a floor speech about the need to reduce the price of prescription medications.  Delgado is co-sponsoring two measures that would allow the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate the price of prescription drugs bought through Medicare.

 “Too many of my constituents, and too many Americans across this country, can’t afford the health coverage they need. There is no bigger driver of this problem than the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs,” Delgado said. “How is it that 1 in 5 American adults cannot afford the medicine they need? 1 in 5.” Delgado continued, “In the wealthiest country in the world it’s inexcusable that we have seniors who have to choose between their prescriptions and buying groceries, cancer patients who can’t afford their drugs, and diabetics who need to ration the insulin they need to survive.”

Veteran's health

The previous day, a press release from Delgado’s office said that the House of Representative has passed a bill that Delgado co-sponsored meant to help veterans who have been exposed to so-called burn pits. 

“The Airborne Hazards and Burn Pit Registry, established in 2013, tracks data on veterans exposed to toxic chemicals and fumes from open-air burn pits, which were used at military sites in Iraq and Afghanistan to dispose of waste. They were also used during the Gulf War. The bipartisan Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act that passed the House this week improves the registry by ensuring it is updated with cause of death after a veteran on the list passes away, allowing the VA, doctors, and others to further understand and address the effects of burn pits,” the press release said.

“Whether it’s conversations with members of my Veterans Advisory Committee or other veterans across the district, it’s clear that Congress is lagging behind on addressing mental and physical health issues that veterans suffer from outside of direct combat – and burn pit exposure is one example of that,” Delgado said. “To successfully address burn pit exposure, we need all the information we can get. I’m proud to be a cosponsor of this bill to enhance the Burn Pit Registry, and I hope that the Senate will take action on this quickly.”

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