ACCP-PAC is the political voice of the clinical pharmacy profession and the only federal political action committee (PAC) specifically dedicated to advancing clinical pharmacy practice.

PACs—including ACCP-PAC—exist to finance political activities and communications. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) defines PACs such as ACCP-PAC as committees with separate segregated funds (SSFs):

SSFs are political committees established and administered by corporations, labor unions, membership organizations or trade associations. These committees can solicit contributions only from individuals associated with a connected or sponsoring organization.¹

 About ACCP-PAC

ACCP’s political action committee allows the College to participate in political campaign activities that strengthen its relationships with key policymakers on Capitol Hill. Providing financial support to influential leaders in Congress helps raise the profile of clinical pharmacy and demonstrates ACCP’s ideological commitment to its core mission.

To maximize its impact, the College must be strategic in targeting its limited resources to the health policy leaders best placed to advance its agenda. Here’s how ACCP’s leaders decide who should receive financial support:

Consistent with all ACCP initiatives, ACCP-PAC is member driven and is managed by a Governing Council, which is responsible for decisions related to how PAC money is spent.

• ACCP-PAC is nonpartisan—committed to working with health policy leaders across all political parties and ideologies.
• ACCP-PAC supports candidates on the basis of their alignment with ACCP’s mission to advance the profession and improve human health through research, training, and education.
• ACCP-PAC strategically targets members of Congress who sit on committees with jurisdiction over health care. In the Senate, ACCP-PAC primarily supports members on the Finance Committee and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. In the House, ACCP-PAC focuses on those who sit on the Ways and Means Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee.
• ACCP-PAC is committed to transparency—all contributions are reported to the FEC, and the information is available to the public.

PAC Comparison: How Does ACCP-PAC Compare with Other PACs?

A PAC is an essential tool for ACCP to participate effectively in the political process. Thanks to the ongoing generosity of ACCP’s members, at the end of its last reporting period, ACCP-PAC had $104,027.90 cash on hand to support political candidates and finance political communications. But how does ACCP-PAC compare with other PACs across various industries?

Other Health Care Political Heavyweights

The American Medical Association (AMA) remains one of the most powerful forces in domestic health care politics. However, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) also maintains a robust and well-funded political operation. Of interest, because of the SSF legal status that limits solicitations to individual members, practitioner organizations like ACCP, AMA, and AAFP hold a distinct fundraising advantage over business trade groups like the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), whose membership is composed of corporations that cannot directly make PAC contributions.

Current Cash on Hand:

• AMA-PAC: $933,394.04
• AAFP-PAC: $337,372.07
• BluePAC (Blue Cross Blue Shield Association): $92,883.87
• PhRMA: $31,270.81

Other Pharmacy Groups

ACCP-PAC holds cash totals similar to its pharmacy peers. However, because the College uses these funds to support candidates who endorse its vision for medication optimization, it relies on the continued support of ACCP members to replenish its reserves and ensure the PAC remains competitive.

Current Cash on Hand:

• National Association of Chain Drug Stores PAC: $275,426.51
• NCPA-PAC: $212,215.94
• APhA-PAC: $167,251.34
• ASHP-PAC: $141,967.82

Outlook for ACCP-PAC in 2025

ACCP is confident of solid, fundamental support on Capitol Hill for the core policy goal driving its effort to establish Medicare coverage for comprehensive clinical pharmacy services that optimize medication use for patients.

Consistent with ACCP’s recent President’s Column “Standing for Science Without Taking Sides,” ACCP-PAC is an essential advocacy and communications tool that allows ACCP to provide nonpartisan support for leaders on Capitol Hill who are standing up for science and working to maintain access to vital health care services for patients in communities throughout the country. It is essential that these leaders remain in Washington in the future to advance policies that meaningfully address the nation’s health care issues.

PAC contributions are a constitutionally protected part of the US political system under the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech. ACCP-PAC is the only means through which the College can provide financial support for candidates for Congress. With over 15,000 members, ACCP is in a position to become one of the most prominent pharmacy PACs in Washington. To do this, the College needs the widespread support of its membership. If each ACCP member contributed just $50, ACCP-PAC would instantly establish itself as the most powerful pharmacy PAC in the entire country. All ACCP members should consider contributing at least $50 to ACCP-PAC. CLICK HERE to support your PAC today!

Reference

1. Federal Election Commission. Political action committees (PACs). Accessed August 7, 2025. https://www.fec.gov/press/resources-journalists/political-action-committees-pacs/