| Big Pharma Hijacked the Bill. Congress Let It Happen. | | Dear e-Alert Reader,
Fresh off the Fourth, you’d think we’d be celebrating wins for freedom. But while we were lighting sparklers and saluting the flag, Congress was busy handing Big Pharma another blank check.
Wrapped in red, white, and blue rhetoric, the so-called "Big, Beautiful Bill" was touted as a major win for the Trump administration.
But buried deep inside? A gift to the drug industry—and a glaring omission that should outrage every American: the complete exclusion of President Trump’s Most Favored Nation (MFN) Executive Order.
The MFN rule was simple: force drug companies to give Americans the same fair pricing they offer overseas. Not more. Not less. Just parity.
That order would have slashed prices for critical drugs—cutting out the games, the middlemen, and the gouging.
Let’s break that down further: MFN meant that if a drug company charged Canada $25 for a vial of insulin, they couldn’t charge $300 for the same product in the U.S. It was designed to peg U.S. prices to the lowest price paid by other developed nations. Fair. Transparent. Long overdue.
President Trump tried to lower drug prices. Congress just gave Big Pharma another payday.
Why? Because Big Pharma showed up with suitcases full of cash, lobbyists with golden Rolodexes, and a revolving door of insiders who know exactly how to kill reform while pretending to support it.
Let’s talk money:
In 2023 the pharmaceutical and health products industry spent a staggering $385 million lobbying Congress—making it the highest spending sector by far. With that PhRMA (the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America) alone shelled out $31.7 million last year.
And they weren’t just wining and dining staffers. They sent reps straight to Capitol Hill to attack Trump’s MFN plan, according to reports from The Wall Street Journal and others.
So how does Congress let this happen? Because influence doesn’t always look like bribery—it often hides in plain sight. Drug industry PACs (Political Action Committees, which collect and donate funds to influence elections) funnel donations to campaign war chests. Lobbyists write draft legislation and offer it as “support.” Congressional staffers get poached for six-figure jobs in pharma. And lawmakers know they can cash in with cushy board seats once they leave office.
Meanwhile, they funded shadowy nonprofit networks to shape the narrative—plants that create “the impression that the reforms they advocate have broader support,” according to a Washington Examiner investigation.
Even worse? The same lawmakers claiming to fight for you are padding their portfolios with drug company stock. A recent POLITICO review found members of both parties collectively purchased up to $2.9 million in pharmaceutical stocks during the first half of the Trump administration, with Republicans investing as much as $1.8 million in just that period.
President Trump tried to break the cycle. His MFN rule was a direct strike at the pharma cartel. But Congress blinked.
Let’s call it what it is: a betrayal.
We can wave the flag all we want, but as long as Big Pharma controls the Beltway, we’re not free. Our independence means nothing if we can’t afford the medicines that keep us alive.
It’s time to demand more than fireworks and bumper-sticker patriotism. It’s time to stand up for real reform.
More soon.
Your dose of truth, straight up no chaser,
Ray Thatcher
Investigative Health Researcher, e‑Alert
Sources: (2024, January 24). Pharmaceutical industry sets record spending on lobbying in 2023. OpenSecrets News. https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/01/pharmaceutical-industry-set-record-spending-lobbying-2023/ Washington Examiner. (2024, March 7). How Big Pharma covertly influences U.S. drug pricing debate. Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance. https://www.pharmareformalliance.com/icymi-washington-examiner-uncovers-big-pharma-ties-to-research-nonprofit-organization/ (2025, June 24). Pharma stocks are hot on Capitol Hill. Politico. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/24/pharma-stocks-congress-trump-rfk-00419312 Wall Street Journal. (2025, April 3). Drug industry mobilizes against MFN rule proposals on Capitol Hill. [Access via WSJ subscription or summary articles] Not yet a Health Sciences Institute’s monthly newsletter subscriber? |
|
|
