Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is urging the Department of Veterans Affairs to cut all ties with McKinsey & Co., the consulting firm to corporations and governments around the world.
The firm had agreed to pay nearly $600 million to settle investigations into its role in helping "turbocharge" opioid sales, The New York Times reported in November 2021.
Attorneys general in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories had reached a $573 million agreement with the company. In addition, a deal was also reached with Washington state for $13 million, and an agreement for $10 million was reached with West Virginia.
In a letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough, Rubio wrote: "I write out of concern about the relationship between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and McKinsey & Company.
"Specifically, McKinsey has repeatedly proven themselves to be a bad actor, willing to exploit relationships with the U.S. government for profit, at the expense of veterans. This behavior, at the taxpayer's expense, should no longer happen.
"As you are likely aware, McKinsey reached a settlement of nearly $600 million for their role in exacerbating the opioid epidemic. For the entirety of the time that McKinsey has been working for the VA, the firm has maintained a relationship with many leading producers of opioids, notably Purdue Pharma and Johnson & Johnson. These firms, advised by McKinsey, specifically targeted veterans in much of their marketing, advertising, and outreach.
"Over a period of several years, McKinsey appears to have promoted a strategy to increase the opioid sales of its client, Purdue, by capitalizing on veterans' struggles with pain. For instance, in June 2013, McKinsey prepared a presentation for Purdue that encouraged the drug maker to exploit VA hospitals as an untapped market for new sales of OxyContin. Another McKinsey presentation from the following month again characterized the VA as a strategic opportunity for increased sales."
He added: "McKinsey played a role in the opioid epidemic by exploiting vulnerable veterans. No entity involved in the proliferation of opioid usage should be advising the VA on vital projects that impact how and when veterans receive healthcare. An entity, like McKinsey, that explicitly touted its relationship with the VA to make a profit should not be allowed to receive any VA money on any contract ever again."
Rubio called on the VA to probe "every initiative McKinsey has been involved in during its time advising the VA to determine if conflict of interests with opioid manufacturers could have impacted decisions made by the VA."
He asked that the VA "sever all relationships with McKinsey."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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