As Donald Trump’s MAGA minions in Congress follow in his footsteps and prioritize Big Pharma over American seniors, DNC National Press Secretary ⁨Emilia Rowland⁩ released the following statement:

“House and Senate Republicans’ plans to hike up drug prices for Medicare enrollees are copy-pasted straight from Donald Trump’s Project 2025 playbook. Trump’s Republican party is putting Big Pharma CEOs over America’s seniors by attempting to roll back cost-savings on health care and prescription drugs from millions of Americans. Trump and his MAGA minions’ Project 2025 plans to repeal the Biden-Harris Inflation Reduction Act – which is already saving seniors thousands a year  – would cause over 18 million Americans to see price hikes. Seniors deserve a leader who will stand up to Big Pharma and fight for them, and the only candidate in this race who will show up for American seniors is Kamala Harris.”

Recent reporting on MAGA Republicans’ plan to repeal Medicare drug price negotiations under the IRA shows they care more about cozying up to Big Pharma than helping American seniors afford the prescription medications they need. 

Axios: “Hill GOP sets sights on scrapping drug price talks”

“The big picture: The tension surfaced this week when multiple high-ranking Republicans told Axios they want to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare drug price negotiations next year if they prevail in the elections.

“What they’re saying: ‘I would try to remove that and replace it, but I can’t tell you the exact, you know, what it would be yet,’ Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), who’s in line to be the next chair of the Senate Finance Committee if Republicans flip the chamber, told Axios when asked about the drug price talks.

• Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) said the IRA drug pricing provisions are ‘the worst legislation I’ve ever witnessed in 10 years in Congress and 10 years in the state legislature’ and he ‘absolutely’ wants to repeal them…
• Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said he ‘100%’ wants to repeal the negotiation provisions, while other drug pricing sections of the law would need to be evaluated based on whether they have ‘a positive impact on business.’”

Politico: “That’s despite Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell frequently calling Medicare negotiations ‘prescription drug socialism’ and no Republicans voting for the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which established the negotiations.

“But House GOP leadership, including Speaker Mike Johnson, called it price-fixing, as did the Republican National Committee, and said it endangered future cures.”

House and Senate Republicans took their plans to hike up drug prices for Medicare enrollees straight from Donald Trump’s extremist Project 2025 playbook.

Center for American Progress: “Project 2025 Prescription Drug Plan Would Increase Costs for as Many as 18.5 Million Seniors and Others With Medicare”

“Project 2025’s ‘Mandate for Leadership: A Conservative Promise’ calls for repealing the Inflation Reduction Act. Similarly, the Republican Study Committee’s ‘Fiscal Sanity to Save America’ fiscal year 2025 budget proposal calls for a full repeal of the law. If Project 2025 is implemented, millions of Medicare enrollees will see their out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs rise, reversing much-needed savings generated by the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Part D reforms and other provisions.”

Center for American Progress: “Project 2025’s Medicare Changes Would Restrict Older Americans’ Access to Care and Imperil the Program’s Financial Health”

Mandate for Leadership (Project 2025), pg. 365: “Support repeal of massive spending bills like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)”

Trump’s only “concept of a plan” on health care is his Project 2025 agenda, which includes rolling back cost-saving measures on health care and prescription drugs from millions of Americans. 

CNN: “Trump now says he’s open to entitlement cuts, including Medicare”

Vox: “Trump said he wouldn’t cut Medicaid, Social Security, and Medicare. His 2020 budget cuts all 3.”

“2019 and 2020: Trump proposed budgets that included hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicare.”

Daily Beast: “Trump Revives Plan to Dismantle Obamacare if Elected in 2024”

NBC News: “Trump, by contrast, stood by his support for a lawsuit headed to the Supreme Court that seeks to invalidate Obamacare. The justices will hear the case one week after Election Day.

“‘I would like to terminate Obamacare, come up with a brand new, beautiful health care,’ Trump said at the debate, which was moderated by NBC News’ Kristen Welker.”

Rolling Stone: “As Rolling Stone has detailed, the proposed Project 2025 agenda is radically right-wing. One item buried in the 887-page blueprint has attracted little attention thus far, but would have a monumental impact on the health of America’s seniors and the future of one of America’s most popular social programs: a call to ‘make Medicare Advantage the default enrollment option’ for people who are newly eligible for Medicare. 

“Such a policy would hasten the end of the traditional Medicare program, as well as its foundational premise: that seniors can go to any doctor or provider they choose.”