- The House passed President Biden’s roughly $2 trillion spending package to expand health care and bolster the nation’s social safety net by a vote of 220 to 213. Despite the pharmaceutical industry’s last-minute lobbying efforts, the drug pricing deal that would allow Medicare to negotiate some drug prices, penalize drug makers that hike prices faster than inflation, and cap drug costs for seniors and patients who use insulin remained largely unchanged. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday that Senate Democrats will try to negotiate with moderate Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema to address their disagreements on the size and scope of the package as it heads to the chamber. Schumer said he would like the bill done by Christmas. (Articles here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here)
November 22, 2021
D.C. News