Bill Cassidy - Ranking Member of the Senate HELP Committee | Official U.S. Senate headshot
Bill Cassidy - Ranking Member of the Senate HELP Committee | Official U.S. Senate headshot
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, strongly criticized the Biden administration's final rule that poses a threat to Americans' access to health care in the name of environmental activism. The controversial rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) places restrictions on the use of ethylene oxide (EtO), a crucial sterilization agent for a significant portion of medical devices and surgical kits in the country.
In response to the new regulation, Dr. Cassidy expressed his concerns, stating, "This irresponsible rule threatens to create disastrous health care shortages." He further emphasized, "President Biden’s EPA is putting American lives in danger in pursuit of abstract environmental activism." The use of EtO is essential for sterilizing medical equipment like endoscopes, syringes, and heart valves that cannot undergo traditional sterilization methods involving heat or radiation.
Dr. Cassidy highlighted the detrimental effects of the policy on domestic medical device manufacturing and its potential to worsen medical product shortages, ultimately jeopardizing the lives of those reliant on these critical supplies. Last year, the Senator had voiced his opposition to the proposed regulation by writing a letter that pointed out the EPA's failure to address concerns raised by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the rule's impacts.
For more information and updates from HELP Republicans, interested individuals can visit the GOPHELP website or follow them on Twitter at @GOPHELP.
Alerts Sign-up