Biden abandons his push to lower drug prices

WASHINGTON — The White House is abandoning every single policy idea aimed at lowering prescription drug prices in President Biden’s domestic spending package, it announced Thursday morning.

Biden is effectively admitting he can’t overcome deeply entrenched pharmaceutical industry opposition to any change to the status quo, even with broad political support for the effort, and both chambers of Congress in Democratic control. The announcement came as part of an effort from Biden to put together a framework for a major domestic spending package that the entire Democratic caucus in Congress could support.

Biden spent countless hours with members of Congress, discussing the idea of letting the government negotiate drug prices, a senior administration official said, but ultimately couldn’t get enough support to proceed.

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