Democrat seeks to codify Trumps executive order to reduce drug prices

Published: Thursday, May 15, 2025 at 6:24 am

Democrat Seeks to Codify Trump's Drug Pricing Executive Order

In a surprising move, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna is introducing legislation to codify President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at lowering prescription drug prices. The order, which sought to ensure Americans don't pay more for drugs than people in other developed nations, faced legal challenges during Trump's administration. Khanna's bill aims to solidify the order's provisions, making it more difficult for pharmaceutical companies ("Big Pharma") to challenge.

The core of the executive order, and Khanna's proposed legislation, focuses on the "most-favored-nation" pricing model. This means Americans would pay the same price for drugs as the lowest price offered in other industrialized countries. Khanna argues that Americans currently pay significantly more for medications, often two to three times the cost compared to other nations. The legislation would empower the Secretary of Health and Human Services to pressure pharmaceutical companies and potentially allow for the importation of cheaper drugs.

Trump's original order highlighted the issue of Americans subsidizing low-cost drugs in other countries while facing higher prices at home. It also emphasized the need to prevent foreign countries from engaging in practices that are unreasonable, discriminatory, or threaten national security.

Khanna's reasoning for codifying the order is rooted in the belief that Big Pharma will likely challenge the executive order in court, as they did previously. He believes that legislation is the only way to effectively stand up to the pharmaceutical industry's lobbying efforts. He is urging Republicans to support his bill, emphasizing that he is setting aside ideological differences to support Trump's directive. The bill has not yet been posted on Khanna's webpage, and it remains unclear what other provisions, if any, it may contain.

BNN's Perspective: This is a fascinating development. While the goal of lowering drug prices is widely supported, the political alignment is unexpected. It will be interesting to see if this bipartisan approach gains traction and whether the legislation can withstand potential legal challenges from the pharmaceutical industry. The success of this bill will depend on the willingness of both parties to compromise and prioritize the needs of American consumers.

Keywords: drug prices, prescription drugs, Donald Trump, Ro Khanna, executive order, Big Pharma, most-favored-nation pricing, drug pricing legislation, lower drug costs, pharmaceutical industry, healthcare, bipartisan, codify, drug importation, American consumers.

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