President Donald Trump speaks at the Hispanic Heritage Month reception at the White House in Washington, September 27, 2019.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
President Donald Trump is accusing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of trying to distract voters from the Democratic impeachment inquiry with promises to work with the White House on lowering drug prices and other initiatives.
“Nancy Pelosi just said that she is interested in lowering prescription drug prices & working on the desperately needed USMCA. She is incapable of working on either,” Trump said in a tweet Wednesday.
“It is just camouflage for trying to win an election through impeachment. The Do Nothing Democrats are stuck in mud!” he added.
Earlier in the day, Pelosi said at a news conference she hoped to work with the White House on a bill to lower the high cost of prescription drugs.
Congress and the Trump administration are trying to pass legislation before the end of the year that would bring more transparency to health-care costs and, ultimately, lower costs for consumers.
Lowering drug prices and impeachment “have nothing to do with each other,” Pelosi told reporters. “We have the responsibility to the oath of office, to support and defend the constitution of the United States. We also have a responsibility to get the job done for the American people.”
Just last week, Pelosi said she hoped to work with Trump on a bill to lower prescription drug prices even after launching a formal impeachment inquiry.
Pelosi had unveiled a long-anticipated plan to lower the price of drugs last month. The main thrust of the plan, which Pelosi had been working on for months, would allow Medicare to negotiate lower prices on as many as 250 of the most expensive drugs per year and apply those discounts to private health plans across the U.S.
The bill would need to pass not only the House but the Republican-controlled Senate and be signed by Trump.
