President Donald Trump is preparing to revive a plan to significantly reduce drug prices by linking what the U.S. government pays for certain medications to the lower prices charged in other countries, according to three sources who spoke to Politico.
Early next week, Trump is expected to sign an executive order instructing his administration to pursue the “most favored nation” policy for a selected group of drugs covered by Medicare. The initiative would leverage existing executive authority to drive down costs, the outlet said, citing the anonymous sources.
The proposal is still under development and could be revised as White House aides continue to work out the details, according to individuals involved in the planning, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. President Trump has not yet given the plan his final approval, said Politico.
On Tuesday, Trump teased a “very big announcement” expected within the next week with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office, an announcement that one source familiar with the matter identified as likely referring to the drug pricing initiative. The other two sources could not confirm the connection but agreed that the proposal is expected to be unveiled soon.
“We’re going to have a very, very big announcement to make — like as big as it gets,” Trump said. “It will be one of the most important announcements that have been made in many years about a certain subject.”
If Trump moves forward with the executive order, it will likely trigger a significant clash between the White House and the powerful pharmaceutical industry.
Trump first introduced a similar plan in 2018, but it stalled amid fierce opposition from drug manufacturers. He made another attempt to implement the policy during the final months of his first term, but a federal judge blocked the effort, ruling that the administration had not followed proper procedural steps. The incoming Biden administration ultimately rescinded the policy, Politico noted.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt offered few details about the renewed proposal when asked on Wednesday, remaining tight-lipped about its specifics.
“The President will make a big and historic announcement on Monday. Until then, everyone can keep guessing!” she said.
Inside the West Wing, Trump has become increasingly focused on reducing drug prices, pressing aides in recent weeks to identify policies that could significantly cut the cost of medications, according to two sources familiar with the discussions, the outlet claimed.
White House officials initially urged congressional Republicans to include a “most favored nation” provision in their sweeping legislative package, which would tie Medicaid drug costs to the lower prices paid in other developed nations, said the report. However, that proposal met resistance within the GOP conference and is unlikely to make it into the final bill, one source told Politico.
“The White House is instead now expected to try to advance the drug price proposal on its own, using existing authorities to impose its ‘most favored nation’ model,” said the outlet. “The effort, if finalized, would likely draw massive opposition from a drug industry that has warned the idea would decimate companies’ ability to develop new drugs. It could also trigger fresh legal challenges.
“Trump’s order this go-around will look largely similar to his first, with even less specifics on which direct medicines are targeted, said one of the people familiar,” Politico reported.
Elsewhere, Trump announced several judicial nominees in Truth Social postings and lamented in a post on Wednesday that the judiciary is stopping him from carrying out the duties that Americans elected him to perform.
In a Tuesday tweet, Trump nominated Missouri Principal Deputy Solicitor General Maria Lanahan to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, describing her as “a true patriot.”
In another post, he referred to Judge Cristian Stevens, who presently serves on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, as “a great patriot.”