Schumer. Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Senate Democrats are pressuring the Trump administration to maintain robust Medicare negotiations to lower drug prices.
Why it matters: Questions remain about how the new administration will implement Democrats' drug pricing law, and coming off an election defeat, the Democrats want to keep an issue that polls well with voters front and center.
What they're saying: "We're going to hold them accountable for actually following through, not only on negotiating the 15 drugs that are already out there, but also on putting forth the new drugs," Sen. Amy Klobuchar said at a press conference Wednesday.
- "We will stand our ground and fight back if they try to undo the progress we have made and give pharma a sweetheart deal," she added.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tried to turn President Trump's promise of a "golden age" on its head, saying "It ain't for you, it's for them, the golden era."
The big picture: In his first campaign, Trump backed government drug price negotiations, and in his first term he proposed, but never finalized, linking prices in the U.S. to those in other countries.
- He hasn't elaborated on how he'll approach the issue in his second term.
