Q&A with Rep. Diana DeGette

In her 15th term in Congress, Rep. Diana DeGette has become the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee. That means she's in a strong position to advance priorities like a sequel to 21st Century Cures.

• DeGette recently sat down with Axios to lay out her take on what's ahead. Her remarks have been edited for length and clarity.

Why is it important to you to be the top Democrat on the E&C health subcommittee?

I've worked on health care policy my entire time in Congress, and and so I think that moving into, not just this session of Congress, but into the future, health care is going to be one of the top issues in this country.

• Affordability and accessibility of health care and prescription drug affordability, biomedical research, vaccines, just every aspect of health is really going to be at the forefront.
• [Most] of the time I've been in Congress, I've been in the minority than in the majority. And what I've learned is that health care impacts everybody. It can be made partisan, but it's not a partisan issue.

You recently met with health subcommittee chair Buddy Carter. Any shared priorities you can work on in a Republican trifecta?

So I've already also met with Chairman [Brett] Guthrie, too. And because health care is a big priority of his, I think that there are a lot of issues that we can work together on a bipartisan basis.

• [Carter and I have] worked together over the years, particularly on PBM reform issues, and and we have a high level of respect for each other.
• There are things we can do. The most urgent example of that is the extenders package that got stripped out of the CR at the very last minute in December, that now expires in March. And so we now have like two months to get that done.

What do you see as a path forward for the health care package?

These are really critical programs that have widespread bipartisan support … so I've really been talking to a number of the Republicans about what we need to do to get that reauthorized.

• And I know they want to try to fold it into their their reconciliation bill, but the problem is that time is of the essence. We can't let these programs run out.… I think the budget resolution will be highly partisan. So no sense in taking bipartisan issues that were negotiated and agreed upon and then sticking them into something that has an uncertain future.

Do you see the best chance being a standalone bill or folding the package into government funding?

I think it would pass, I think every single Democrat would vote for it, and I would say at least two-thirds or more of the Republican conference would vote for it, if it came up as a standalone bill. And I think that's what they should do.

You recently released the framework for potential Cures 2.1 legislation. What is the status of that?

I had been working with [former Rep. Larry] Bucshon on Cures 2.1, updating and flushing out some areas of 21st Century Cures. We agreed before he left we would do a white paper … which we released right before the end of the last session.

• Right now, I'm looking for a new Republican partner, but this is something that I think can be bipartisan and bicameral. We have a lot of good allies in the Senate too. And so I talked to Congressman Carter about that.

Do Democrats have a plan if Republicans start trying to alter the IRA's drug price negotiations?

That's part of a bigger conversation about drug affordability, PBMs, all of that. And I actually think we can have some of those discussions on a bipartisan basis.

• The Republicans I don't think like this negotiation authority, but on the other hand, it's making drugs affordable for millions of Americans. So their constituents aren't going to like it if their drugs are suddenly spiking up because of a proposal in Congress.

What is going to be the message from Democrats if the GOP tries to alter the Medicaid program as well, as they're looking at in reconciliation?

It's interesting, because when people voted for Donald Trump, they were voting to have their cost of living decreased. And millions of Americans signed up for the Medicaid expansion and also for the ACA subsidies to help lower their medical costs.

• So I think if they try to cut access to affordable health care, then it's going to cause a firestorm among the public.

What is one fun fact about you?

I have my pawlicy advisor, Fiona [pictured above], who flies back and forth with me and advises me on numerous subjects.

• I've had her two years. Especially during the pandemic, I was stuck here in my house as an impeachment manager, and I needed a friend.
• So I researched what dogs are small enough to fly but have a big-dog personality, and that's how I came up with Westies.