The Hill: Trump drug pricing proposal puts GOP senators in a tough spot

[mystery-ak]

An executive order from President Trump aims to make deep cuts to prescription drug costs, putting GOP lawmakers who have traditionally opposed government-directed drug pricing in a tough position.

Republican lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (S.D.) and Senate GOP Whip John Barrasso (Wyo.), have warned in the past that directing the federal government to set drug prices will slow innovation and limit patients’ access to lifesaving therapies.

Now they’re in the tough position of having to respond to Trump’s latest move, which would cut deeply into pharmaceutical companies’ profits.

The industry, which contributes generously to members of both parties, warns that Trump’s proposed reform could jeopardize hundreds of billions of dollars in research and development investments.

Thune on Monday said that Trump’s executive order would be “fairly controversial” if put into legislation on Capitol Hill, reflecting his party’s longtime skepticism of using Medicare’s huge buying power to pressure drug companies to lower prices.

“My assumption is that would be fairly controversial up here if we were doing it … legislatively,” Thune said of Trump’s executive order on drug pricing.

more
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5296446-trump-executive-order-pharmaceutical-costs/

[Fishrrman]

HERE is why they're in "a tough spot":
(posted elsewhere, but worth repeating)
=========================
REPORT: List of U.S. Senators with Pharmaceutical Contributions (1990-2024):

1. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI): $600,000

2. John Barrasso (R-WY): $500,000

3. Michael Bennet (D-CO): $1,500,000

4. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN): $600,000

5. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE): $320,793

6. John Boozman (R-AR): $200,000

7. Mike Braun (R-IN): $150,000

8. Katie Britt (R-AL): $50,000

9. Ted Budd (R-NC): $100,000

10. Laphonza Butler (D-CA): $50,000

11. Maria Cantwell (D-WA): $200,000

12. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV): $300,000

13. Ben Cardin (D-MD): $1,200,000

14. Tom Carper (D-DE): $800,000

15. Bob Casey (D-PA): $1,790,780

16. Bill Cassidy (R-LA): $600,000

17. Susan Collins (R-ME): $700,000

18. Chris Coons (D-DE): $400,000

19. John Cornyn (R-TX): $900,000

20. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV): $421,000

21. Kevin Cramer (R-ND): $150,000

22. Mike Crapo (R-ID): $600,000

23. Ted Cruz (R-TX): $300,000

24. John Curtis (R-UT): $450,000

25. Steve Daines (R-MT): $200,000

26. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL): $150,000

27. Dick Durbin (D-IL): $1,000,000

28. Joni Ernst (R-IA): $150,000

29. Deb Fischer (R-NE): $200,000

30. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ): $244,135

31. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY): $800,000

32. Lindsey Graham (R-SC): $500,000

33. Chuck Grassley (R-IA): $400,000

34. Bill Hagerty (R-TN): $100,000

35. Maggie Hassan (D-NH): $90,000

36. Josh Hawley (R-MO): $100,000

37. Martin Heinrich (D-NM): $300,000

38. George Helmy (D-NJ): $10,000

39. John Hickenlooper (D-CO): $200,000

40. Mazie Hirono (D-HI): $200,000

41. John Hoeven (R-ND): $250,000

42. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS): $100,000

43. Jim Justice (R-WV): $50,000

44. Ron Johnson (R-WI): $300,000

45. Tim Kaine (D-VA): $600,000

46. Mark Kelly (D-AZ): $100,000

47. John Kennedy (R-LA): $200,000

48. Andy Kim (D-NJ): $106,778

49. Angus King (I-ME): $150,000

50. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN): $700,000

51. James Lankford (R-OK): $150,000

52. Mike Lee (R-UT): $100,000

53. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM): $200,000

54. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY): $50,000

55. Joe Manchin (I-WV): $600,000

56. Ed Markey (D-MA): $400,000

57. Mitch McConnell (R-KY): $2,020,462

58. Bob Menendez (D-NJ): $1,474,575

59. Jeff Merkley (D-OR): $200,000

60. Jerry Moran (R-KS): $300,000

61. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK): $100,000

62. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK): $400,000

63. Chris Murphy (D-CT): $300,000

64. Patty Murray (D-WA): $1,000,000

65. Rand Paul (R-KY): $100,000

66. Gary Peters (D-MI): $400,000

67. Jack Reed (D-RI): $300,000

68. Pete Ricketts (R-NE): $100,000

69. Jim Risch (R-ID): $150,000

70. Mitt Romney (R-UT): $2,700,392

71. Jacky Rosen (D-NV): $300,000

72. Mike Rounds (R-SD): $150,000

73. Bernie Sanders (I-VT): $1,918,361

74. Brian Schatz (D-HI): $200,000

75. Adam Schiff (D-CA): $196,635

76. Chuck Schumer (D-NY): $1,500,000

77. Eric Schmitt (R-MO): $50,000

78. Rick Scott (R-FL): $200,000

79. Tim Scott (R-SC): $596,000

80. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH): $400,000

81. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ): $556,000

82. Tina Smith (D-MN): $200,000

83. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI): $187,096

84. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI): $800,000

85. Dan Sullivan (R-AK): $150,000

86. Jon Tester (D-MT): $1,000,000

87. John Thune (R-SD): $400,000

88. Thom Tillis (R-NC): $300,000

89. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL):$50,000

90. JD Vance (R-OH): $50,000

91. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD): $300,000

92. Mark Warner (D-VA): $600,000

93. Raphael Warnock (D-GA): $50,000

94. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): $822,573

95. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI): $300,000

96. Roger Wicker (R-MS): $300,000

97. Ron Wyden (D-OR): $1,500,000

98. Todd Young (R-IN): $300,000

https://x.com/realTrentLeisy/status/1921961536895230152

[bigheadfred]

 

[The_Reader_David]

Under what statutory or constitutional authority may the President enact price controls on medications?

Perhaps Congress can be pushed to introduce legislation making it illegal for a company to charge more to Americans that it charges for the same product in other countries (then the only difference in what we pay would be the tariff on any medications produced overseas).

And while we're fixing this, get rid of the ability of insurance companies to negotiate below market rates for their beneficiaries so that everyone else has to pay more.

[Hoodat]

Under what statutory or constitutional authority may the President enact price controls on medications?

Under what Constitutional authority does the Federal Government become Big Pharma's biggest customer?