MADISON, Wis. — Today, Emergency Medicine Doctor Chris Ford joined WisDems 3rd Congressional District Chair William Garcia and a local Wisconsin pharmacist to call out Congressman Tom Tiffany for supporting policies that would make generic medications more expensive for Wisconsinites.

Congressman Tiffany cosponsored an extreme bill that would place import taxes on generic prescription drugs, voted against legislation that would make prescription drugs more affordable and voted to protect tariffs seven times.

Watch the press conference here and see what speakers had to say, in part, below:

William Garcia: “My daughter was 11 when she was diagnosed with a congenital brain condition and had the first of several brain surgeries help that was only possible through the ACA. Today, she is happy and healthy, but will always need healthcare, and Medicaid is how that’s possible […] Medicaid is the only way she can get the healthcare she needs. Without it, I do not know how she would see a doctor, stay healthy, or even live her life without constant interruption of ‘can I pay for this? What happens if I get sick? Can I even pay for the medication if I need it?’ […] I take offense that my daughter and hundreds of thousands of hardworking Wisconsinites are working harder than ever and fighting just to keep up with the costs that continue to rise thanks to policies Congressman Tiffany and his friends in Washington are pushing.”

Dr. Chris Ford: “What I noticed as a doctor is that the rising cost of medications is more than just a financial burden. It’s a public health issue […] I’ve treated patients in the emergency department who were there simply because they could not afford the prescription medications that their doctor ordered. This problem is going to get so much worse if these tariffs go into effect on top of cuts to Medicaid that Congressman Tiffany and his fellow Republicans have jammed through last year in the big ugly bill […] And whether it’s next year when Tom Tiffany’s Medicaid cuts kick in or in 2028 when Trump’s 100% tariff on generic medicines take effect, Tiffany and MAGA are making Wisconsinites sicker. In Congress, we know that Tom Tiffany has not and will not stand up to the president whom he has voted with 100% of the time.”

Pharmacist Thad Schumacher: “As an independent pharmacy owner, I see many of my colleagues across the state of Wisconsin struggling. I see closures like the pharmacy up in Green Bay, Streu’s Pharmacy, that was a pharmacy for 70 years and had to close its doors at the beginning of this year because pharmacy reimbursement that is put up by the PBMs [pharmacy benefit managers] in our industry is not sustainable. […] And what pharmacy owners are really faced with is the option of laying off workers. And when you lay off workers, it hurts patients, right? Because access goes down. You have less people working in the pharmacy. It increases the risk of error. And then closures make it farther and farther for delivery in order to take care of those patients. So Tom Tiffany has been no friend to pharmacy or to health care in the state of Wisconsin.”