West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin on Tuesday called on Congress to lower drug prices just months after he killed a bill to do just that, Common Dreams reports.
Manchin tweeted that "by allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, capping the cost of insulin at $35 per month, and allowing the importation of drugs from Canada, we can lower prescription drug prices in America. We must take action and keep the promises we've made to our seniors."
But Manchin last year single-handedly killed negotiations on the Build Back Better package, which included a provision to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices and capped the cost of insulin.
Pushback:
“You literally killed the bill to do this,” tweeted Michigan Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Warren Gunnels, a top aide to Sen. Bernie Sanders, called Manchin a “phony.”
“THE reason we failed to keep our promises to seniors is because [Manchin] sabotaged the Build Back Better Act and refuses to end the filibuster," said Gunnels. "In Joe's world, protecting the filibuster is more important than protecting seniors. No wonder billionaires love him."
"If Manchin didn't sabotage Build Back Better, Medicare would be negotiating with the pharmaceutical industry to lower drug prices, insulin would be capped at $35 a month, and Medicare would be expanded to provide dental, vision, and hearing to seniors," he added. "Promises made. Promises broken."
Inflation measure?:
Manchin, who has made fighting inflation a top priority, issued the call after President Joe Biden cited his proposal to lower drug costs as a top way the administration plans to fight growing costs.
"We can reduce the price of prescription drugs by giving Medicare the power to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies and capping the cost of insulin,” he wrote.
Troy Miller, a West Virginia organizer for Social Security Works, called on Manchin to actually legislate.
"It's been six months since we rallied for you to vote for these provisions as part of BBB," Miller said. "And in the meantime, people have died because they couldn't afford meds. Bring a bill forward!"
