A New York jury on Tuesday found Sen. Bob Menendez guilty on 16 counts for bribery, extortion, and fraud charges. Calls for Menendez’s resignation quickly followed. Whether or not he immediately listens to them, Menendez is unlikely to continue his regular congressional activities given that he’s now been convicted — among other charges — of acting as a foreign agent on behalf of Egypt.
Without Menendez, the pharmaceutical industry will lose an important friend in Congress. The longtime New Jersey Democratic senator has held his post since 2006 and has been in Congress for more than three decades, representing the home state of several pharmaceutical giants including Johnson & Johnson and Merck. Health care and pharma are among his top contributing industries, and his voting record has often aligned with their interests. In 2019, the senator sided with Republicans voting against price caps and drug negotiations, and in 2021 he opposed pricing reform. That same year, though he was not up for reelection, he received significant donations from pharmaceutical industry CEOs.
Menendez remains among the top senators when it comes to receiving campaign donations from the health and pharma industries. As of press time, he was still running as an independent in the upcoming election.
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