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WASHINGTON — On Thursday The House passed a bill aimed at lowering prescription drug prices, a step toward a long-held Democratic goal that was met with sharp Republican resistance.
The bill passed on a largely party-line vote of 230-192. The measure, which would allow the government to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs, is one of House Democrats’ top priorities and is expected to be touted by vulnerable Democrats up for reelection next year.
The party is also looking to show that it is focused on kitchen table issues like lowering drug costs even as lawmakers prepare for an impeachment vote against President Trump.
Two Republicans voted in favor of the bill: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) and Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.), both moderates who face competitive reelection races next year. No Democrats voted against the bill.
The measure drew support from progressives following months of negotiations that cleared the way for it to pass this week. The bill is almost certain to die in the GOP-led Senate, though, given that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R, Ky.) has called it “socialist” and vowed to block it. Republicans warn the measure would hinder the development of new treatments and impose “price controls.”
It is possible that smaller measures to lower drug prices could become law, given a bipartisan push to do something on the topic, but a path forward remains unclear amid division and multiple competing proposals.
Pelosi had tried for months to win Trump’s support for the bill, given that he broke from Republican orthodoxy and supported government negotiation on drug prices during his 2016 campaign.
After months of talks between Pelosi’s staff and the White House, though, the administration came out against the measure, leading Democrats to say Trump is breaking his promise to support negotiation for lower prices.
The House bill, known as the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, is named for the late Democratic lawmaker who was a champion of lowering drug prices.
The legislation would allow the secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower prices for a minimum of 50 drugs per year, up to a maximum of 250 drugs. The prices for those drugs would also be capped at 120 percent of the prices in certain other wealthy countries. The government would then negotiate to bring prices down even further below that cap.
