President Donald Trump’s recent executive order aimed at lowering drug prices has created a divide among Democrats on Capitol Hill.
Many Democrats, when approached by Fox News Digital, admitted they hadn’t fully reviewed the order. Their reactions were mixed. Representative Richard Neal, a key figure on the House Ways and Means Committee, remarked, “It certainly seems like bark more than chewing.” He expressed his intention to investigate the order in more detail.
In contrast, Representative George Latimer from New York, who has ties to the Progressive “Squad,” expressed cautious optimism. He noted, “If we can keep drug costs low, that’s a positive thing,” but acknowledged he needed to read the finer details to understand it better.
Trump announced that he instructed the Department of Health and Human Services to establish price targets for pharmaceuticals, claiming these measures could lower costs significantly—perhaps by 50% to 90%—almost immediately.
Democrat Representative Lou Correa also shared positive sentiments about the order, stating, “Cutting drug costs is always a good thing,” while stressing the importance of reviewing the specifics.
Meanwhile, Representative Lloyd Doggett from Texas approached the order with skepticism. He pointed out the lack of meaningful price drops during Trump’s first term, saying, “It remains to be seen whether American patients will benefit from this.” He stressed the need for action to support his belief in the efficacy of the order.
House Democrat Caucus Speaker Pete Aguilar further challenged the sincerity of the order, describing it as “dishonest efforts” and something merely performed for show. “If they were serious,” Aguilar remarked, “the policy would be part of the settlement bill.” He clearly saw it as a performance rather than substantive action.
Conversely, D-Calif. Representative Ro Khanna was working on legislation aimed at making Trump’s executive order a permanent fixture, emphasizing that Americans should not be paying more for drugs than people in other countries.
In a separate interview, Trump argued that his executive order should mitigate Democratic criticisms regarding his budget settlement bill, suggesting it was aimed at enhancing drug prices while asserting Republicans were committed to reforming vital programs like Medicaid, despite the ongoing debates over its direction.
Trump claimed, “It’s Democrats’ fault for people being torn apart for years,” and expressed confidence that there would be strong support for his proposals as they could lead to significant tax cuts alongside reduced drug costs.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a formal response.
