U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly Wednesday joined President Trump at the White House for the signing of his bipartisan ‘Right to Try’ legislation. The bill passed the Senate unanimously in August 2017 and the House of Representatives with bipartisan support on May 22nd. Donnelly introduced the Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn, and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act with Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) in January 2017.
Donnelly said, “I was proud to join President Trump at the White House, as he signed my Right to Try bill into law. This is about delivering for families in Indiana and across the country who have been asking for the right to try and access potentially life-saving, clinically tested medical treatment to treat terminally ill loved ones before time runs out. I want to thank Senator Johnson for his bipartisan partnership in this effort, and Hoosiers Laura and Jordan McLinn for their tireless advocacy, which was critical in helping us push this across the finish line.”
President Trump said during the signing ceremony, “We would not be here today without the tireless efforts of dedicated members of Congress. That’s so true…I also want to thank Senator Donnelly. Senator Donnelly, thank you very much.”
Vice President Pence said during the signing ceremony, “First and foremost, I want to thank the members of Congress who are here today, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives who worked tirelessly and on a bipartisan basis to advance this legislation. This is how Congress should work to advance the interests of the American people.”
Donnelly first met Indianapolis resident Laura McLinn and her son Jordan McLinn—who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a disease with no cure—in early 2016. Donnelly has met with the McLinn family many times and worked closely with them to advance this legislation. Donnelly brought up and talked with Vice President Pence about the importance of Congress passing his bipartisan Right to Try bill during a meeting last month. Last week, President Trump hailed Donnelly’s Right to Try legislation as “big legislation” and “a wonderful bill” and said “it amazingly was something people said could not be passes” and added “it’s so incredible….we got it passes and we has some tremendous help from some tremendously talented Senators and Congress people. “During a press conference last week, Johnson called Donnelly a “stalwart” and said, “This would not have happened without Joe Donnelly.”
Donnelly and Johnson worked tirelessly to advance their legislation through Congress. In October 2017, Donnelly and Johnson sent the House Energy and Commerce Committee a letter urging it to pass the bill. The Donnelly-Johnson bill that passed the Senate in August can be found here. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb recently announced his support for the Donnelly-Johnson ‘Right to Try’ legislation.
