Pfizer Inc.'s record of job cuts after acquisitions is now drawing heat from both sides of the Atlantic. U.S. and state politicians yesterday joined their U.K. counterparts in questioning the economic impact of the drugmaker's push to buy AstraZeneca Plc.

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and Delaware Governor Jack Markell said they fear the deal will lead to job losses in their states in a letter to Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Ian Read. The letter was released hours after Senator Carl Levin said he is writing legislation to block U.S. companies from shifting their legal addresses overseas to avoid U.S. taxes, a move Pfizer has proposed as part of the transaction.

The U.S. backlash follows Read's commitment to U.K. officials that Pfizer would keep at least 20 percent of the combined company's R&D workers and substantial manufacturing plants in the U.K. for at least five years. The governors wrote that they want some assurances as well.