What we’re hearing from people we trust on and around the Hill – please send us more tips!

• PhRMA and the New York Times: As Congress considers Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) legislation, the New York Times published a long piece attacking the industry. PhRMA praised the story, but conservatives like former Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.), Mike Pompeo, and Joe Grogan, criticized it as “one-sided.” A Senate aide said that it is “too soon to say whether a [PBM] bill passes, but no Republican is going to be persuaded by the [New York] Times.”
• Catholic group opposes privacy bill: The Washington Reporter got a copy of a letter that Catholic Vote — an influential conservative Catholic organization — sent to the Hill urging opposition to the latest version of the Americans Privacy Rights Act (APRA). Catholic Vote expressed concerns that the bill could unintentionally open up crisis pregnancy centers to lawsuits and harassments from progressive state AGs. Read the full letter HERE.
• Union watchdog bulks up: The Public Labor Unions Accountability Committee (PLUAC) added longtime Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson as a senior advisor, the group told the Reporter. Thompson, who also served as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the early 2000s, slammed the agency’s current head, Xavier Becerra: “When I ran HHS we always put the American people first,” he told us. “President Biden and Secretary Becerra are jeopardizing seniors on Medicare by changing the rules and forcing businesses to unionize. It’s wrong and I’m glad our watchdog group is calling them out.”
• Play softball: The 16th annual Congressional Women’s Softball Game, which pits a bipartisan team of female members of Congress against journalists, is this Wednesday evening. The Lawmakers are looking to avenge a 15-9 defeat they suffered at the hands of the Press Corps last year. Get tickets here.