Democratic Health Leaders to President Trump: Hand Over Your Secret Deals with Pharmaceutical Companies
House and Senate Democratic Health Committee leaders wrote to President Trump today requesting copies of the most-favored-nation agreements struck with pharmaceutical companies, which have been kept hidden from Congress and the American people.
The letter was signed by House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA), House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), House Education and Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR).
“As Ranking Members of the committees with jurisdiction over health care, we write to request copies of the most-favored-nation agreements that you struck with pharmaceutical companies and have kept hidden from Congress and the American people,” the health leaders wrote to Trump.
During the State of the Union, Trump called on Congress “to codify my most favored nation program into law.” However, Congress has not been provided with essential details on these secret sweetheart deals, and the Trump Administration barred pharmaceutical companies from disclosing information about the agreements’ terms.
“If you truly believe that the deals you struck are in the best interest of the American people and should be codified by Congress, you will promptly provide them to Congress without limitation or redaction,” the Democratic Committee leaders continued. “Then, and only then, can there be any discussion or debate about whether they accomplish the goal that Democrats have long championed of lowering prescription drug prices for Americans. If you do not provide the agreements, however, the only conclusion that we can reach is that they serve the interests of you and the pharmaceutical industry rather than the American people.”
In a second letter, Neal, Pallone, and Wyden wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. requesting details on the so-called GLOBE and GUARD Models, which are intended to lower Medicare prescription drug prices but appear to be empty rhetoric from the Trump Administration.
“We strongly agree that the United States is paying too much for prescription drugs relative to other countries. The GLOBE and GUARD Models, however, appear to be yet another attempt to dupe the American people into believing the Trump Administration is doing something to lower their drug costs,” the Democrats wrote to Kennedy.
“While the Trump Administration is claiming participation in GLOBE and GUARD is ‘mandatory,’ pharmaceutical companies that have reached drug pricing agreements with the White House are openly telling the press and their shareholders that they are exempt from GLOBE and GUARD,” the Democrats continued. “In other words, manufacturers may be able to get out of providing international level drug prices in Medicare by agreeing to separate drug pricing deals with the White House which likely do nothing to meaningfully lower drug prices for the American people.”
Democrats’ letter to President Trump requesting copies of the most-favored nations agreements is available HERE.
Democrats’ letter to Secretary Kennedy requesting details on the GLOBE and GUARD Models is available HERE.
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