Democrats bat away Trump's olive branch on drug pricing
By ADAM CANCRYN and SARAH OWERMOHLE 02/05/2019 11:38 AM EST
President Donald Trump keeps telling Democrats he wants a big bipartisan drug pricing deal. But Democrats don't believe him — and are rolling out a series of bills that would set the framework for talks far to the left, defying Trump to stand in the way.
At the center of that effort is empowering Medicare to directly negotiate drug prices — a top liberal priority that's faced near-universal opposition from Republicans, yet won Trump's support when he ran for president.
Making it the starting point for any deal would not only require the White House to buck the party's establishment but negotiate across partisan lines on a divisive issue — a feat few Democratic lawmakers believe Trump is capable of pulling off.
"They seem incapable of negotiating in good faith on anything," said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Rules Committee. "Quite frankly, I wouldn't trust them to tell me the correct time, never mind be serious about a deal."
Trump is expected to tout his progress on drug pricing during Tuesday's State of the Union, including a proposal unveiled last week that would make the rebates drugmakers give insurance plans subject to fines under anti-fraud law. House Democrats quickly panned it, in what some interpreted as a sign they're digging in on dictating the terms of the debate.
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https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/05/state-of-the-union-2019-drug-pricing-1142829
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