January 22, 2021
Leaders of the political action committee of the American College of Cardiology (HeartPAC) met last night to discuss whether a change is needed in how it donates money to politicians, amidst a nationwide reckoning following the violent storming of the US Capitol on January 6.
Moving forward, the group “is temporarily pausing all individual and leadership contributions. We will take this time to reassess and strengthen the scorecard used to evaluate potential HeartPAC recipients,” according to a statement released Friday by Sandra Lewis, MD, and Andrew Miller, MD, HeartPAC’s chair and vice chair, respectively.
“No contributions have been made in 2021, and none will be made until the committee completes this careful process,” they continue. “However, the HeartPAC will continue to support larger Democratic and Republican party committees as part of our ongoing commitment to working with members of Congress, regardless of party affiliation, to advance quality cardiovascular care on behalf of all ACC members and their patients—a commitment that is even more critical in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.”