WASHINGTON — The long-serving chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, now has an influential position in the pharmaceutical industry at a pivotal time in the country’s recovery from theCOVID-19 pandemic and a looming battle on Capitol Hill over drug prices.
Matt Stroia, a native of New Castle who had been Mr. Kelly’s chief of staff since 2012, joined Pfizer as the senior director of federal government relations last month.
Mr. Kelly announced the move last month, praising Mr. Stroia’s “exceptional service to our team, our district, and our great country.”
“For the past decade, he has led our staff with wisdom and integrity, and I am excited to see where his new role takes him,” Mr. Kelly said.
Mr. Kelly likely will see the impact of Mr. Stroia’s work. Mr. Kelly sits on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which sets tax policy and oversees drug pricing efforts.
The move comes as Congressional Democrats, who hold a slim majority in the House and Senate, prepare a legislative push later this summer and fall to lower drug prices.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order last week that set the stage for the debate. Mr. Biden ordered the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to, in the next 45 days, draft a plan to fight high drug prices, to ease the “recurrent problem of price gouging,” and to enhance local pharmaceutical supply chains.
Mr. Biden and Democrats have supported generic and biosimilar competition, and allowing Medicare to negotiate drug costs.
Mr. Kelly and other Republicans have been outspoken against much of the Democratic drug pricing agenda, arguing that greater government power would erode drug companies’ ability to invest in research and development, especially when it comes to complex medical conditions.
Legistorm, a Congress-focused research organization that reported on Mr. Stroia’s move last week, noted Pfizer is a “perennial big spender” on federal lobbying, spending about $11 million per year to influence Washington even before the company became a central producer of the COVID-19 vaccine over the last year.
Last week, the company said it would seek approval from the Food and Drug Administration for a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot.
Pfizer donated $7,000 to Mr. Kelly’s campaign in the 2019-2020 election cycle and $6,500 in the 2017-18 cycle, according to Federal Election Commission records.
To replace Mr. Stroia, Mr. Kelly announced Timothy Butler, previously the congressman’s Erie-based district director, would be promoted to chief of staff.
“Tim is a faithful, principled, and patriotic Erie native who is the perfect person for the job,” Mr. Kelly stated.” I congratulate him on his well-earned promotion. Our team and district are in great hands.”
Daniel Moore: dmoore@post-gazette.com, Twitter @PGdanielmoore
First Published: July 13, 2021, 2:39 p.m.
