Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced legislation to codify President Trump’s executive order reducing drug prices.
“I rise today to introduce as legislation, President Trump’s executive order for the most favored nation status on drug pricing,” Khanna said. “My legislation will codify President Trump’s executive order, which basically says that Americans should not pay more for drugs than people in other countries and other parts of the world.”
“Right now, we are paying two to three times more for our drugs than people in other industrialized nations,” he explained. “Now, this executive order, codified by the legislation, will allow our Cabinet secretaries to put pressure on Big Pharma and make sure they are not price-gouging, and will allow for the importation of cheaper drugs.”
Khanna noted that “the reality is that Big Pharma will sue for the executive order like they did during the previous Trump administration,” adding that “the only way we can stand up to Big Pharma is to codify in legislation what the president wants to do in an executive order.”
“If I can cross the aisle and support President Trump’s executive order in legislation, every Republican should be willing to cross the aisle and support my legislation,” he claimed.
President Trump’s executive order asserts that “Americans should not be forced to subsidize low-cost prescription drugs and biologics in other developed countries, and face overcharges for the same products in the United States.”
Americans should “have access to the most-favored-nation price for these products,” the order explains. “My Administration will take immediate steps to end global freeloading and, should drug manufacturers fail to offer American consumers the most-favored-nation lowest price, my Administration will take additional aggressive action.”
