“If Trump is Truly Committed,” Asserts Senator Bernie Sanders, “He Will Endorse My Upcoming Bill to Ensure Our Prescription Drug Prices Are No Higher Than Those in Other Developed Nations.”
Senator Bernie Sanders and other Democrats in Congress are urging U.S. President Donald Trump to back legislative measures to control skyrocketing prescription drug costs, rather than relying on executive orders which may not hold up in court.
Following Trump’s recent signing of an executive order on Monday, which aims to align U.S. drug prices with those in other developed countries, Sanders communicated this pressing message to the White House. This executive action mirrors a previous attempt that was halted by a federal judge in Trump’s first term after significant opposition from the pharmaceutical industry.
Sanders, who has consistently advocated for legislative solutions to tackle the excessive cost of medications, expressed his frustration with the current system, stating, “It is scandalous that Americans pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs.”
He further criticized Trump’s reliance on executive orders, predicting, “As Trump is well aware, his executive order will be dismissed in court. If he is genuinely focused on creating substantial change rather than just releasing a statement, he will support the bill I plan to introduce soon. This legislation will equate our drug prices with those in other major countries. With bipartisan support, we could pass this in a matter of weeks.”
Sanders, alongside Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), previously proposed a bill aimed at ending the exclusive control drugmakers have over medications by permitting generic alternatives if a drug is priced higher domestically than in other affluent nations.
A study by the RAND Corporation last year found that drug prices in the U.S. are on average 2.78 times higher than those in nations like Canada, Germany, and France.
Khanna has voiced his support for Trump’s initiative to normalize U.S. drug prices with those abroad but cautioned that the executive order is likely fated to fail. “Instead of an executive order that will face opposition from Big Pharma again, why not collaborate with Bernie Sanders and me to enact this law,” he suggested via social media.
The pharmaceutical industry has openly opposed Trump’s recent order. Stephen Ubl, CEO of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, argued that “adopting price controls from socialist countries would harm American patients and workers.”
He claimed it would lead to fewer treatments and endanger the substantial investments planned by the industry in the United States, although this is often considered a misleading assertion by the industry.
“Donald Trump talks big but delivers little when it comes to reducing prescription drug prices.”
Since his tenure began, Trump has claimed he supports robust measures to decrease drug costs, but actions like his recent executive order to delay Medicare price negotiations reflect a retreat from these promises. This negotiation process was initiated under the Biden administration with the Inflation Reduction Act, legislation that has effectively resisted challenges from the pharmaceutical industry so far.
Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) responded to Trump’s executive order by saying, “Donald Trump talks big but delivers little when it comes to reducing prescription drug prices.”
Wyden criticized Trump’s previous term for its empty rhetoric against Big Pharma and lack of substantial action, contrasting it with Democratic efforts that have enabled Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, benefiting seniors and their families. “If Trump truly wanted to lower drug prices, he would collaborate with Congress to enhance Medicare’s ability to negotiate drug prices, instead of merely signing an executive order,” Wyden concluded.
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