June 12, 2024
This week, the Biden-Harris campaign launched Seniors for Biden-Harris, a new program to engage and mobilize senior voters across the country to reelect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Meanwhile, over the weekend, Donald Trump tried his best to take credit for a landmark win for President Biden’s agenda: capping the cost of insulin at $35 a month for seniors on Medicare. Trump is lying once again: His MAGA minions in Congress voted against President Biden’s historic legislation containing the price cap that is lowering costs for seniors across the country. What’s even more shameless? Trump has railed against the legislation that made it possible.
As Team Biden-Harris launches Seniors for Biden-Harris, DNC National Press Secretary Emilia Rowland released the following statement on the threat Trump poses to seniors:
“Donald Trump is leading his MAGA cronies – who voted against capping the once-exorbitant cost of insulin for seniors – in siding with big corporations over working people. Now that American seniors are benefitting from the insulin price cap that President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act made possible, Donald Trump is lying through his teeth, trying to take credit for the popular policy win. Seniors know that President Biden is why millions of Americans are saving hundreds of dollars per year on health care costs. Not only is Trump taking credit for lowered insulin costs, but his allies in the House have also proposed repealing the very law that capped the price for seniors. President Biden and Vice President Harris are the only candidates on the presidential ballot this year who will protect seniors from greedy corporations looking to make a buck off their backs.”
The Republican senators and representatives in battleground states during the 117th Congress voted to block legislation that capped the cost of insulin at $35/month for seniors on Medicare:
Arizona
- All FOUR Arizona House Republicans, including Reps. Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar, Debbie Lesko, and David Schweikert voted to block the $35/month cap on insulin.
Georgia
- All EIGHT Georgia House Republicans, including Reps. Buddy Carter, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jody Hice, Andrew Clyde, Drew Ferguson, Barry Loudermilk, Rick Allen, and Austin Scott, voted to block the $35/month cap on insulin.
Nevada
- The ONLY House Republican from Nevada, Rep. Mark Amodei, voted to block the $35/month cap on insulin.
North Carolina
- BOTH Republican senators from North Carolina, Thom Tillis and Richard Burr, voted to block the $35/month cap on insulin.
- All EIGHT North Carolina House Republicans, including Representatives Dan Bishop, Virginia Foxx, David Rouzer, Madison Cawthorne, Ted Budd, Patrick McHenry, and Greg Murphy, and Richard Hudson voted to block the $35/month cap on insulin.
Michigan
- All SEVEN Michigan House Republicans, including Reps. Jack Bergman, Bill Huizenga, Lisa McClain, John Moolenaar, Fred Upton, Peter Meijer, and Tim Walberg, voted to block the $35/month cap on insulin.
Wisconsin
- The ONLY Republican Senator from Wisconsin, Ron Johnson, voted to block the $35/month cap on insulin.
- All FOUR Wisconsin House Republicans who voted on final IRA passage, Reps. Scott Fitzgerald, Glenn Grothman, Bryan Steil, and Tom Tiffany, voted to block the $35/month cap on insulin.
Pennsylvania
- All NINE House Republicans from Pennsylvania, including Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, John Joyce, Mike Kelly, Dan Meuser, Scott Perry, Guy Reschenthaler, Lloyd Smucker, Glenn Thompson, and Fred Keller voted to block the $35/month cap on insulin.
Now, Trump is trying to take credit for President Biden’s win after his party voted to tank it, and GOP senators went out of their way to strip out a provision from the Inflation Reduction Act that also would have capped the cost of insulin at $35 a month for Americans on private insurance.
The Hill: “Trump attempts to take credit for insulin pricing in Truth Social post”
CNBC: “Trump claims credit for Biden’s insulin price cap”
NBC: “Republicans block cap on insulin costs for many Americans from Democratic deal”
CBS: “Senate Republicans block $35 cap on price of insulin from Democratic bill”
Guardian: “Republicans vote against insulin bill as price soars, dismaying diabetics”
What’s worse, Trump’s allies in the House Republican Study Committee have proposed repealing the law that caps insulin costs. Meanwhile, President Biden is going to bat for seniors.
KFF: “The House Republican Study Committee proposed a full repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act in its FY2025 budget proposal.”
White House Fact Sheet: “As part of President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act, nearly four million seniors on Medicare with diabetes started to see their insulin costs capped at $35 per month this past January, saving some seniors hundreds of dollars for a month’s supply. But in his State of the Union, President Biden made clear that this life-saving benefit should apply to everyone, not just Medicare beneficiaries.”
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: “Biden-Harris Administration to Make First Offer for Drug Price Negotiation Program, Launches New Resource Hub to Help People Access Lower-Cost Drugs”
White House Fact Sheet: “Today’s announcements deliver on the President’s promise in the State of the Union to crack down on nursing homes that endanger resident safety as well as his historic Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers, which included the most comprehensive set of executive actions any President has taken to improve care for millions of seniors and people with disabilities while supporting care workers and family caregivers.”
White House Fact Sheet: “Increases the Supply of Affordable Housing Financed by Existing HUD programs…In addition, the Budget provides $931 million to support housing for older adults and $257 million to support housing for persons with disabilities.”
