President Donald Trump is off to a fast start, delivering on two of his biggest campaign promises: ending wasteful government spending and lowering costs for the American people. His new Executive Order to lower prescription drug prices proves he’s serious about doing both. It builds on a key campaign issue he’s championed since 2016 – using the power of government to negotiate better drug prices for Medicare – and aims to surpass the $6 billion in taxpayer savings already expected from the first round of negotiations.
But a serious threat to that progress is moving through Congress. The EPIC Act (H.R. 1492) – a bill backed by Big Pharma and disguised as a pro-innovation measure – would tie President Trump’s hands, undermining the goal set in his executive order to go beyond the savings negotiated under the previous administration and curtail his ability to get the best deal for American taxpayers.
The bill would delay when common drugs like Eliquis and Trelegy become eligible for Medicare negotiation, extending the exemption for small-molecule drugs from 9 to 13 years. That’s four more years where drug companies can keep charging sky-high prices, and billions more in taxpayer dollars will be lost. It’s a blatant carveout for pharmaceutical companies at the expense of the very seniors and working families Trump wants to protect.
Pharma says it needs this time to recoup R&D costs – but the facts don’t add up. These companies already benefit from billions in taxpayer-funded NIH research, and many of the drugs in question have been on the market for years and have earned billions in profit. Small-molecule drugs are also cheaper to make and distribute than biologics. There’s no justification for this $10 billion gift to pharma – just a lobbyist-driven effort to hold off competition and keep prices high.
Lowering prescription drug prices has been a key part of President Trump’s agenda for years. Back in 2016, he was one of the first people to suggest that Medicare should negotiate drug prices. He correctly pointed out that “we pay, as a country, so much more for drugs because of the drug lobbies” that are “getting away with murder.” That’s why his recent executive order on drug prices is a great step. But the EPIC Act would sabotage his efforts.
And the American people know it. A brand-new poll from Trump’s own pollster shows that Republican voters, especially in battleground districts, overwhelmingly support efforts to get a better deal for Americans through Medicare negotiation, and that drug companies are more focused on profits than making a difference in people’s lives:
Even more telling: supporting Medicare negotiation gives Republicans a 20-point boost on a generic ballot – proof that this is both good policy and good politics.
If Republicans want to help President Trump deliver on his promises, lower costs for seniors, and rein in Big Pharma’s unchecked power, they should reject the EPIC Act. It’s a direct affront to President Trump’s leadership on this issue – and it would make it harder for him and his allies in Congress to lower drug prices and deliver real savings for the American people.
President Trump knows a bad deal when he sees one. The EPIC Act is a bad deal for seniors, a bad deal for taxpayers, and a massive handout to the drug lobbyists he’s spent years battling. If Republicans want to stay aligned with the base, help the President deliver, and keep Big Pharma in check – they should oppose the EPIC Act and stay the course on negotiation.