Welch gets commitment from Secretary Kennedy to work on bipartisan Welch-Hawley bill to lower prescription drug prices for Americans 

WASHINGTON, D.C.— In a Senate Finance Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) took Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to task for the Trump Administration’s failure to lower prescription drug prices for everyday Americans. Senator Welch grilled Secretary Kennedy on how TrumpRx—the Trump Administration’s new direct-to-consumer prescription drug platform—has made Big Pharma richer without meaningfully lowering drug prices for American families. 

“The point here is TrumpRx was sold as the ‘cheapest prices.’ Our research challenges that, unfortunately….What I understand is that all but one of the 16 TrumpRx companies have increased prescription drug prices since making their deals. The prices are going up! Companies that signed deals made even more money,” said Senator Welch. “Let’s just level: It’s 80 drugs out of 24,000—you can’t be eligible if you’re on any other health care. The companies that have agreed to this have had increased profits [to] $170 billion. TrumpRx is a fraud.” 

Watch Senator Welch’s remarks here: 

Read a key excerpt of Senator Welch’s exchange with Secretary Kennedy: 

Sen. Welch: The point here is TrumpRx was sold as the ‘cheapest prices.’ Our research shows—challenges that, unfortunately. Another thing, TrumpRx isn’t even the cheapest prices in the United States. Only a small fraction of available drugs are included. There are 24,000 FDA-approved drugs—80 drugs are on TrumpRx—literally, 80 drugs. That obviously means that, for the vast majority of drugs, they are not even in TrumpRx. The other thing that is important is that everyday Americans cannot access TrumpRx…A patient is not eligible if he or she is enrolled in any federal or state health care program with prescription drug coverage, such as Medicaid or Medicare, or any similar federal health program—TRICARE. Do you dispute that?  

Sec. Kennedy: [no response] 

Sen. Welch: The vast majority of people aren’t even eligible. You know, the other point is: who’s really benefiting? You mentioned that there was $1.3 trillion in market increase for the drug companies—but I’m not seeing any reduction in cost to everyday Americans who want to get prescription drugs. 

At the hearing, Senator Welch pressed and gained a commitment from Secretary Kennedy that his administration would support efforts to pass the Fair Prescription Drug Prices for Americans Act, bipartisan legislation led by Senator Welch and Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), which would prohibit pharmaceutical companies from selling drugs in the United States at higher prices than an international average: 

Sen. Welch: Here’s my concern: I met with President Trump in his first term. He said very directly—and he has on the campaign—that people are getting ripped off with  Pharma pricing. He gets it, but he’s not solving it. TrumpRx doesn’t work. I have a bill cosponsored by Senator Hawley—the Fair Prescription Drug Prices for Americans Act—which would prohibit pharmaceutical companies from selling drugs in the United States at higher prices than at the international average, which is something I thought the President said he supported. Does your administration support that legislation?  

Sec. Kennedy: Senator, we would love to work with you on the codification. This does not—TrumpRx does not yet cover every drug. It covers the most common drugs, it’s dropped the price of GLPs’ by 89%. 

Sen. Welch: Let’s just level, though: It’s 80 drugs out of 24,000— 

Sec. Kennedy: It’s the most common drugs. It’s the most common drugs. It’s the most commonly used drugs. It’s asthma drugs, it’s insulin, it’s GLPs, it’s all the most— 

Sen. Welch: You can’t be eligible if you’re on any other health care. The companies that have agreed to this have had increased profits by $170 billion. TrumpRx is a fraud. 

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Earlier this year, Senator Welch joined colleagues in expressing concern to the HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) about how the OIG will conduct oversight and apply the federal Anti-Kickback Statute to direct-to-consumer platforms such as TrumpRx. Senator Welch also led six of his colleagues in demanding transparency from HHS on the scope, structure, and legal authority of TrumpRx.  

Senator Welch was a staunch opponent of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s appointment to serve as HHS Secretary. In September, Senator Welch grilled Secretary Kennedy about the disastrous impact of President Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act and delivered a scathing review of the secretary’s tenure in a speech from the Senate floor. The Senator also joined Senate Finance Committee Democrats in urging Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) to launch a fact-based, bipartisan investigation into Secretary Kennedy for his repeated anti-vaccine actions and conflicts of interest. 

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