Pelosi: ‘We must hold the president to his campaign promises’ to lower drug prices

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday said President Trump should fulfill a campaign promise by signing a bill that would let Medicare negotiate drug prices.

“Together we must hold the president to his campaign promises to ensure that he signs this legislation when it reaches his desk,” Pelosi said in a speech to the American Hospital Association conference. “Every time I speak to him he says, ‘Yes, yes we’ve got to lower the cost of prescription drugs.’ We want to enable him to do that.”

{mosads}During the 2016 campaign, Trump broke with Republicans by saying he supported allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. He has since backed off that position.

Pelosi’s comments come as her office is in talks with White House officials on drug pricing legislation. That measure includes Medicare drug price negotiation.

The Speaker said she wants to pressure Trump, based on his campaign promises, to support the bill.

“We are going to insist that the secretary negotiate for lower drug prices,” Pelosi said, referring to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.

Some progressives, however, are skeptical about Pelosi’s office talking to the White House on drug pricing, saying they don’t think the Trump administration will negotiate in good faith.

On another issue that has exposed tensions among Democrats — “Medicare for all” — Pelosi made a brief mention of the proposal, while keeping the focus on her main goal of strengthening the Affordable Care Act.

“We all share a common goal: affordable quality health care coverage for all,” Pelosi said. “There are many paths to this goal. You’ve heard of some of them.”

The American Hospital Association is opposed to Medicare for all, with concerns about cuts to payment rates to hospitals.

Pelosi added to applause: “Medicare for all, single-payer, whatever it is, all of that creative tension is valuable as we go forward, but we can’t go down any path unless you strengthen the Affordable Care Act.”