Rogers Threatens Legal Action Against El-Sayed to Hide His Record of Putting Big Pharma Above Michiganders

MICHIGAN – Today, Mike Rogers threatened legal action against Dr. Abdul El-Sayed for exposing Roger’s connection to Big Pharma going back to his time in Congress. This is a clear attempt to silence El-Sayed as he surges in both primary and general election polling. Voters have a right to know where candidates stand on healthcare: with the industry or for guaranteeing healthcare for every American. In November, Michiganders will have the chance to vote for a doctor and public health expert or someone who has spent his political career doing favors for Big Pharma. 

Rogers is so deep in the pockets of Big Pharma with his countless votes in their favor, passionate stance against expanding healthcare access, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions, he does their bidding without ever being required to register as a lobbyist on their behalf. 

“Mike Rogers spent the entirety of his political career in Congress putting Big Pharma over the people he served, and he has time and time again sold out Michiganders to line his own pockets,” said Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. “Rather than debate me in the court of public opinion, Rogers has taken the coward’s approach by threatening to stifle us in the court of law. Clearly, Rogers knows that in the general election, I won’t allow him to hide from his record. Voters have a right to know who he stands with.”

Here are the facts:

• During his time in the House, Rogers consistently put the interest of pharmaceutical companies over the interests of Michiganders. He has received over $670,000 in campaign contributions from the pharmaceutical industry. 
• Mike Rogers contributed to the opioid crisis that has caused thousands of deaths in Michigan. In Congress,“Rogers was a leading advocate for greater access to pain medications, which are typically variations of opioids.”
• Rogers opposed and voted against allowing drug reimportation, and even “repeated industry talking points” in defense of this position. 
• He said he was “passionately against” saving taxpayers money by allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, just like the VA does, and voted against it time again in Congress. This was a problem Rogers himself helped create when he supported the original Medicare Part D law, which specifically prohibited Medicare from negotiating lower prices.
• Mike Rogers opposed the Affordable Care Act, voted against it, and voted to repeal it, even though the law saves Michigan seniors thousands of dollars every year by closing the Medicare Part D donut hole, which Mike Rogers voted to create in the first place.
• Rogers has increased his wealth by millions of dollars  after leaving Congress, leveraging his time in government service to finance his lavish life in Florida by taking full advantage of Washington’s “revolving door.”

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