Hill staff gets briefed on implications of Trump’s drug pricing plan

STAT News – Monday, September 15, 2025
By Daniel Payne

WASHINGTON — Congress is again discussing the Trump administration’s plan to force drug companies to lower their U.S. prices, at least behind the scenes.

Congressional staffers and health policy experts from major think tanks held a closed-door meeting to discuss policy options that would peg U.S. prices for drugs to what other countries pay, called most-favored nation pricing. The discussions are the latest example of growing interest among Republicans in more aggressive measures to lower drug prices, including the most-favored nation plan that has been a top priority for President Trump.

Most of the staffers present were from Republican offices, according to Richard Frank, a panelist at the event who works at the left-leaning Brookings Institution. And the leader of the Senate health panel, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), has circulated proposed legislation for an MFN policy.

The meeting was hosted by Arnold Ventures and also included representatives from the libertarian Cato Institute and the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute. Cassidy’s office did not immediately comment on the briefing.

Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at Cato, spoke at the meeting. He said there was some agreement among experts that drug prices were probably higher than they should be.

Still, staffers remained “pretty tight-lipped about what might be going on on the hill,” Cannon said, noting that “pharma holds a lot of sway in Congress over these issues.”

The more conservative panelists were skeptical of strong government controls, Frank said, but there was a bit more openness to the policies than some conservatives have historically shown.

The discussion remained high-level, exploring the basics of how such a policy would work, precedents of other countries’ drug price controls, tradeoffs in price controls, and potential issues with implementation, the panelists told STAT.

“A lot of folks I think were in listening mode,” said Ben Ippolito, the AEI representative.

Despite the discussions, sweeping new drug pricing policy seems unlikely to be passed into law anytime soon.

Administration allies failed to get their most-favored nation policy in Republicans’ reconciliation package earlier this year. Still, the administration is pushing ahead with its plans to use executive authority to try to force drugmakers to offer U.S. patients the lower drug prices they offer in Europe and Canada.

The administration has threatened sweeping action against companies that don’t voluntarily lower their prices, with President Trump demanding action by the end of the month.

Still, Congress could be a crucial part of a long-lasting MFN strategy.

Lawmakers have, for years, discussed relatively modest reforms without getting them signed into law, making strong government price controls seem even less likely.

Some attorneys who work for pharmaceutical companies have told STAT they believe the Trump administration’s plan could run into issues should a court rule it lacks statutory authority. But if Congress grants the president new statutory authority, it could shift the dynamic entirely.

The discussion comes amid record lobbying spending from pharmaceutical makers, who are concerned about tariffs and a slate of other potential changes across Washington.

But it also comes as advocates for lower drug prices are flocking to the Hill to urge action from lawmakers.

“There is bipartisan momentum,” said Merith Basey, executive director of Patients for Affordable Drugs, which brought advocates to the Hill last week for meetings with Republicans and Democrats alike. “We are doubling down. Our patients are here for the long haul.”

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