Representative Angie Craig Statement on Deal to Lower Prescription Drug Prices

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representative Angie Craig released the following statement following reports that Democrats had reached an agreement on lowering prescription drug costs, one of the final provisions negotiated as part of the Build Back Better Act in Congress.

"While we still need the legislative language, I am encouraged by the news that we've reached an agreement to lower prescription drug costs for seniors and families as part of the Build Back Better Act. This agreement would allow Medicare to negotiate some drug prices for the first time, penalize companies for outrageous price hikes and cap the amount of money seniors pay for their drugs.

For far too many years, lawmakers have buckled under pressure from Washington's special interests and failed to enact any prescription drug reforms. My sincere hope is that that changes with this agreement. Today, we have demonstrated to our constituents that we will not be intimidated – and that we will always prioritize the interests of the American people over the profits of Big Pharma. Our fight to ensure affordable health care is far from over – but this is an important step in the right direction and would represent a first win for the American people."

The drug pricing reforms announced this afternoon were not included in the original framework of the Build Back Better bill released last week. Over the weekend, Rep. Craig led a movement of swing district colleagues to pressure Nancy Pelosi and House leadership to fight in the bill to bring down the cost of drugs for hardworking Americans. In addition, earlier today, Representative Craig delivered a speech on the House floor urging her colleagues to support the inclusion of prescription drug pricing reform in the final text of the legislation.

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