Donald Trump has a history of breaking his campaign promises. The Trump administration has proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare after making big claims on the campaign trail about protecting them. Now, Trump has killed a plan to reduce prescription drug costs.
This is devastating news to the many Minnesotans who need their prescription drugs to survive. Too many Minnesotans have already lost their lives to big pharma greed. Alec Smith, a Minnesotan who lived with diabetes, was just 26 years old when he died from diabetic ketoacidosis after he was unable to pay the $1300 price tag for a month of insulin.
Trump’s broken promise comes just after Minnesota Republicans’ failure to pass legislation to hold big pharma accountable this legislative session, when they blocked the Alec Smith Emergency Insulin Act. Meanwhile, big pharmaceutical companies continue to jack up their prices, rake in billions of dollars in profit, and, thanks to Trump’s tax scam, pay $0 in federal taxes.
Republicans are in big pharma’s pocket. But when the Trump administration and their Republican allies refuse to do right by Minnesotans, our DFL leaders will.
Senator Tina Smith has taken Minnesotans’ fight for affordable prescriptions to Washington, and has introduced two bills to lower drug costs.
The first, much like the Alec Smith Emergency Insulin bill that Republican state legislators blocked, would create a fund to provide emergency insulin access for those who struggle to afford it. The second speeds up the approval process for generic insulin, so Minnesotans who need insulin to survive can access equally effective options at a lower price.
Senator Smith’s bills are garnering support, but she faces an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled Senate, and Minnesotans can’t wait any longer. Our health care is under attack from the Trump administration, and just last month, another Minnesotan, Jesy Scherer-Radcliff, died at just 21 years old from diabetes complications after rationing his insulin.
That’s why we need your help. Sign up to stop Trump’s agenda, and together we’ll stand up to big pharma greed and fight for more affordable, accessible prescriptions.
