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December 16, 2004
The Two Million Dollar Congressman
"Representative Billy Tauzin, a principal author of the new Medicare drug law, will become president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the chief lobby for brand-name drug companies, the trade group announced Wednesday," according to the New York Times.
This is all pure coincidence, of course. Our noble public servants would never pass laws to benefit companies in exchange for jobs upon their exits from government. Right?
Drug makers said that the job was not a reward for Mr. Tauzin's work on the Medicare bill, which followed the industry's specifications in many respects. The law was signed by President Bush on Dec. 8, 2003, a few weeks before a lawyer for Mr. Tauzin began talks with the drug trade group.
Mr. Tauzin, 61, is the latest policy maker to move from government to industry. "It's a classic example of the revolving door," said Lawrence M. Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a watchdog group that tracks the influence of money on politics and government policy.
Thomas A. Scully, the administration's main negotiator with Congress on the drug bill, got a waiver of federal ethics rules that permitted him to negotiate with potential employers while he was still running the Medicare program. Since he joined a law firm last December, Mr. Scully has registered as a lobbyist for drug companies, including Abbott and Aventis.
Mr. Tauzin (pronounced TOE-zan) and Mr. White refused to discuss Mr. Tauzin's new salary, except to say it was comparable to the pay at other large trade associations. People at other trade groups said they believed that Mr. Tauzin would receive $2 million a year or more.
Posted by Mike Tennant at December 16, 2004 10:30 AM
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