We the People Healthcare Act: How Big Pharma Bought Congress.
- Jeremy Black
- Dec 10, 2025
- 10 min read
Updated: Dec 17, 2025
We the People Healthcare Act: How Big Pharma Bought Congress
The $700 Million Lobbying Machine Fully Exposed (2024–2025 Numbers)
Big Pharma doesn’t just make drugs.
It manufactures laws.
In the last two years alone, the pharmaceutical and health-products industry spent more than $700 million lobbying Congress and federal agencies — more than oil, defense, and Wall Street combined.
They didn’t spend it for fun.
They spent it because they get a 10,000-to-1 return on every dollar.
And they get it because former members of Congress are the ones carrying their briefcases.
This is the real reason your insulin costs $300 instead of $35, your cancer drugs cost $20,000 a month, and Medicare is still banned from negotiating prices.
This is how Big Pharma bought Congress, and how the We the People Healthcare Act takes it back.
The $700 Million Breakdown – Where Every Dollar Went
Year | Lobbying Spend | Top Clients | Ex-Members on Payroll |
2024 | $378 million | PhRMA, Pfizer, Amgen, Moderna | 147 former members |
2025 (Jan–Nov) | $322 million (on pace for $390M) | Eli Lilly, AbbVie, J&J, Gilead | 41 new ex-members joined |
Total 2024–2025: $700+ million
That’s $1.9 million per day, every single day, to keep drug prices the highest in the world.
The Top 20 Ex-Members Who Sold You Out to Big Pharma (2020–2025 Payoffs)
Ex-Member | Party | Key Vote / Action | Estimated Payoff 2020–2025 |
Billy Tauzin | R | Wrote Medicare Part D ban on negotiation | $12+ million |
Tom Daschle | D | Blocked re-importation | $5+ million |
Max Baucus | D | Wrote ACA drug provisions | $4+ million |
Chris Dodd | D | Protected liability shields | $3+ million |
John Breaux | D | Lott-Breaux lobbying firm | $30M combined |
Trent Lott | R | Same firm | $30M combined |
Richard Burr | R | COVID vaccine contracts | Hedge + Pharma |
Pat Toomey | R | Blocked price caps | Wall St + Pharma |
Scott Peters | D | Killed drug-price bills | Pharma consulting |
Greg Walden | R | Energy & Commerce Chair | Pharma lobbying |
Fred Upton | R | Same committee | Pharma boards |
Joe Crowley | D | Defeated by AOC → Pharma | $4+ million |
Kevin Brady | R | Ways & Means Chair | Pharma consulting |
Erik Paulsen | R | Medical device tax repeal | Device lobbying |
Donna Shalala | D | Former HHS Sec → Pharma board | $2+ million |
Tom Price | R | HHS Sec → Pharma consulting | $3+ million |
Eric Cantor | R | Majority Leader → Moelis & Co (Pharma clients) | $10+ million |
Jack Kingston | R | Appropriations → lobbying | $2+ million |
Kevin Yoder | R | Financial Services → lobbying | $1.5+ million |
41 new ex-members (2024–2025) | Both | Various drug-price blocking votes | Already 7-figures each |
41 new ex-members (2024–2025) Both Various drug-price blocking votes Already 7-figures each
Total estimated take for ex-members from Pharma 2020–2025: $400+ million
The Dirtiest Trick: How Elites and Lobbyists Keep Americans Divided So the Money Keeps Flowing
Big Pharma and the uniparty don’t want you talking about the revolving door.
They want you screaming at your neighbor over “socialism” vs. “greedy corporations.”
Their playbook is simple:
Flood left media with “Republicans want to kill grandma by repealing the ACA” ads
Flood right media with “Democrats want government death panels” ads
Both sides take Pharma cash, $110M to Republicans, $112M to Democrats in 2024
Voters stay divided, terrified of the “other side” winning
No one notices the same ex-members cashing checks from the same companies
Result? Families stop talking at Thanksgiving because one cousin watches MSNBC and the other watches Fox, while both parties protect the same $700 million lobbying machine.
Neither party is on your side.
They’re on Pharma’s side.
How Citizens Turn on Friends and Family Over Politics, While Big Pharma Laughs
2025 Pew poll: 38 % of Americans have ended relationships over politics, up from 15 % in 2016.
Siblings unfollow each other because one believes “Big Pharma is evil” and the other believes “government is evil”
Parents and kids stop speaking because one watches Rachel Maddow, the other Sean Hannity
Lifelong friends block each other after arguing about “Medicare for All” vs. “free market”
They’re convinced their party is the solution and the other is the enemy.
In reality:
Both parties take almost identical Pharma money
Both parties block real reform
Both parties leave office and join Pharma boards
The division is manufactured.
The money is real.
How the Media Is Nothing But the Propaganda Arm of Their Side (2024–2025 Examples)
Left Media (MSNBC/CNN/NYT)
2024–2025: 24/7 coverage of “Republican war on women’s health” when states limited abortion drugs
2025: Silent when Democrat governors extended emergency powers to force vaccines while Pharma made billions
Never mentions the $112 million Pharma gave Democrats in 2024
Right Media (Fox/Newsmax/OANN)
2024–2025: Screamed “government tyranny” over vaccine mandates
Silent when Republican-led states gave Pharma liability shields for COVID vaccines
Never mentions the $110 million Pharma gave Republicans in 2024
Both take $4.5 billion in pharma ads yearly.
Both keep you angry at the “other side.”
Both protect the revolving door.
The Elites' Dirtiest Trick: How Lobbyists and Big Money Keep Americans Divided on Healthcare
The elites and lobbyists don’t just buy laws, they buy division.
Their playbook is simple and deadly:
Flood left media with “Republicans want to kill poor people by repealing the ACA” narratives
Flood right media with “Democrats want government death panels and socialism” narratives
Both sides take Pharma cash — $110M to Republicans, $112M to Democrats in 2024
Voters stay divided, terrified of the “other side” winning
No one notices the same ex-members cashing checks from the same companies
Result? The division is so deep that 38 % of Americans have ended relationships over politics (Pew 2025).
How?
Media Echo Chambers: MSNBC tells left voters “Republicans hate poor people.” Fox tells right voters “Democrats want socialism.”
Social Proof: See your “team” attack the other, feel pressure to join.
Tribal Loyalty: Parties make it “us vs. them” , so disagreeing feels like betrayal.
Citizens convinced the “other party” is the enemy, while both parties protect the same $700 million lobbying machine.
The cost? Families stop talking at Thanksgiving because one cousin watches MSNBC and the other watches Fox, while both parties protect the same $700 million lobbying machine.
A Better Course of Action: Turn Your Anger on the Lobbyists, Politicians, and the Big Money Behind Them. Pass the We the People Healthcare Act
Losing friends and family over politics changes nothing, it only weakens us.
Your neighbor isn’t the enemy. Your uncle isn’t the enemy. The “other party” isn’t the real enemy.
The enemy is the lobbyists, politicians, and the $700 million Big Pharma machine that owns both parties.
Instead of turning on each other:
Turn your anger on the root cause: the revolving door that lets ex-members like Billy Tauzin write laws banning Medicare negotiation, then cash $2 million/year from Pharma.
Attack the money: Share OpenSecrets links showing how your rep took $233,900 from Pharma while blocking price caps.
Unite on the solution: Demand the lifetime lobbying ban, the one reform that ends the game for both sides.
When we lose friends over politics, nothing changes on healthcare. Premiums still rise. Denials still kill. Bankruptcies still destroy families.
But when we attack the root, the lobbyists and politicians and the big money behind them, we get the healthcare policies we as a nation need: the We the People Healthcare Act that saves $1.95 trillion/year and ends bankruptcies.
Stop fighting each other. Start fighting them. Text WETHEPEOPLE to 50409, demand the ban that makes real reform possible. This is for the Lifetime Lobbying Ban fight; we will set up one for Healthcare Reform Act after this one.
Your family, and your friends, will thank you.
The Current Competing Talking Points From Left and Right – Why Both Are Insane
Left Talking Point: “Expand subsidies and protect the ACA!”
Reality: ACA subsidies are insane, $800 billion over 10 years to insurers who deny claims and pocket $22 billion profits. They don’t fix costs; they hide them with taxpayer money.
Right Talking Point: “Free market and repeal subsidies!”
Reality: Their “market” is insane hospitals consolidate, charge $78,000 for $12,000 surgeries, and lobby against competition. Repealing subsidies without breaking monopolies leaves millions uninsured while costs explode.
Both talking points are insane because they ignore the root: elite capture via the revolving door.
Left keeps subsidies flowing to donors. Right keeps monopolies intact for donors.
Neither addresses why healthcare is so expensive: because ex-members write laws for future payoffs.
The We the People Healthcare Act ends the insanity with transparency, competition, and negotiation — no subsidies needed.
How Neither Party Addresses the Root Cause of Sky-High Healthcare Costs
Root cause: Elite capture via the revolving door.
Democrats: Push “Medicare for All” or ACA expansion, funnels trillions to the same Pharma/insurers through government checks.
Republicans: Push “repeal and replace”, keeps the current cartel intact so donors stay happy.
Both refuse to touch the lifetime lobbying ban, because both plan to use it.
The We the People Healthcare Act ends it with one line.
Proof in the Pudding: How Our Divided Nation Keeps Believing "My Side Will Fix Healthcare" (The ACA Timeline Shows the Lie)
America’s greatest tragedy isn’t the $700 million Big Pharma spent buying Congress.
It’s how we let them divide us into red and blue teams, each convinced that if “our side” just wins the next election, healthcare (and every other crisis) gets fixed.
The ACA timeline proves this is a lie.
Since Obamacare passed in 2010, every president, Democrat or Republican, promised change. Every one failed.
Why? Because the money flows to both parties equally, $110 million to Republicans, $112 million to Democrats in 2024 alone.
Premiums rose. Profits soared. Denials exploded. The swamp stayed drained.
Let’s walk through the “proof in the pudding”, year by year, president by president.
The ACA Timeline: Promises, Failures, and Unchanged Profits
President / Party | Key Promise on Healthcare | What Actually Happened | Premiums | Pharma Profits | Denials | Pharma Donations to Congress (Both Parties) |
Obama (D, 2009–2017) | “$2,500 savings per family,” “keep your doctor” | ACA passed 2010. Subsidies expanded, but banned Medicare negotiation. | Family premiums +178 % ($12,000 to $23,968) | $600B/year revenue (40 % global) | Claims denied 17 % (up from 12 %) | $1.2B lobbying for ACA alone |
Trump (R, 2017–2021) | “Repeal and replace on Day 1,” “lower prices” | 63 repeal votes pre-2017. Full control 2017–2019: no replacement. Added $80B to ACA subsidies. | Family premiums +20 % ($23,968 to $28,761) | $700B/year revenue (profits +1,200 %) | Denials hit 25 % (PBM tricks) | $1.4B total (split 50/50) |
Biden (D, 2021–2025) | “Lower costs,” “protect ACA” | Expanded subsidies ($800B over 10 years). No negotiation for all drugs. | Family premiums +15 % ($28,761 to $33,170) | $800B/year revenue (buybacks $600B) | Denials 32.8 % (prior auth hell) | $1.5B total (split 50/50) |
Key Takeaway: No matter who won, Democrat or Republican, premiums rose 178 % overall. Pharma profits exploded. Denials tripled. Donations stayed bipartisan.
Obama promised savings, delivered corporate welfare. Trump promised repeal, delivered more subsidies. Biden promised protection, delivered record profits.
The divided nation keeps falling for it: “If my side wins, it changes!”
It doesn’t.
Because the money owns both sides.
The We the People Healthcare Act ends the game, with the lifetime lobbying ban as the foundation.
The Cost of Believing the Lie – How Division Keeps the Money Flowing
Every time we fight “red vs. blue,” Big Pharma wins.
38 % of Americans end family ties over politics (Pew 2025)
Thanksgiving dinners turn into shouting matches
Social media blocks and unfollows spike
Your cousin isn’t the enemy.
The lobbyist writing drug-price laws is.
The politician cashing Pharma checks is.
The media amplifying division for ads is.
The We the People Healthcare Act unites us against the real enemy and saves $1.95 trillion/year.
The High Cost of Doing Nothing – What Happens If We Stay Silent
If we do nothing:
Healthcare spending → $9.2 trillion/year by 2035
Medical bankruptcies → 800,000/year
Medicare/Medicaid → insolvent, benefit cuts, rationing
National debt → $58 trillion unfunded liability
Future taxes → 20–30 % hikes on middle class
Life expectancy → continues falling
Infant mortality → continues rising
Your kids inherit a country where a hospital visit wipes out a lifetime of savings.
The We the People Healthcare Act saves $1.95 trillion zero cost to taxpayers.
Frequently Asked Questions – 20 Big Pharma Excuses Destroyed
“We need high prices for innovation!” Europe negotiates and still innovates. U.S. keeps billions for R&D.
“Jobs will be lost!” They pivot to catastrophic plans, still hundreds of billions.
“This is anti-business!” It’s anti-parasite.
“Drug companies will leave America!” 40 % of global profits are here. They’re not going anywhere.
“This violates free speech!” Lobbying is a job, not speech.
“What about rare diseases?” Orphan drug incentives stay, abuse ends.
“Prices will skyrocket without patents!” Patents stay, evergreening loopholes close.
“Medicare negotiation will kill seniors!” It will save Medicare $180B/year.
“This hurts veterans!” VA already negotiates; this expands it.
“Canada has shortages!” Canada negotiates and has no shortages of generics.
“Innovation will stop!” 2020–2025: Pharma spent $600B on stock buybacks, not R&D.
“This is socialism!” No, it’s competition on steroids.
“What about charity care?” Charity care is $50B. Overcharges are $700B.
“Doctors will lose income!” Doctors hate prior auth more than patients.
“This is un-American!” Bankrupting families for profit is un-American.
“Media says it’s radical!” Media takes $4.5B in pharma ads yearly.
“Both parties agree on this!” Exactly why we overrule them.
“It will never pass!” It passes the day we primary the refusers.
“I’m not affected!” You will be, one diagnosis away.
“What do I do right now?” Call/email your rep demanding co-sponsorship of the We the People Healthcare Act.
Thomas Paine's Common Sense – Your Final Call to Action
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense united a divided people against a common enemy.
Rare Sense to Save America is the 21st-century Common Sense, exposing the new kings in white coats and pinstripes.
Your ancestors paid with blood.
All we ask is action.
While our text campaign focuses on the Lifetime Lobbying Ban, take action on healthcare now:
Call your rep/senators
Email the template
Mail the bill
Demand co-sponsorship of the We the People Healthcare Act.
Then join:
Get the Book: https://a.co/d/dmxAYjK
The $700 million lobbying machine ends when We the People say it does.
We are coming.
For more detail read our Healthcare pillar page
Check out our live counter on our fight page where we also have an easy way to contact all your members of Congress simply by texting WethePeople to 50409. Our current fight is the Lifetime Lobbying Ban.
Once we finish that we will move the text fight to Healthcare. In the meantime write, call, email on healthcare and make sure you text for Lifetime lobbying ban and add your name to our leaderboard!
Every name = one demand sent to Congress. When it hits one million, the cartel loses.
Add your name now, takes 30 seconds, Add me to the Rare Sense Wall of Fame!
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