CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown were stunned by a “fiery exchange” between Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The health and human services head testified Wednesday morning before the Senate Finance Committee, where Warren asked whether Kennedy would release information about tariff reductions for pharmaceutical companies whose products are sold on TrumpRx.
“For these scam discounts, President Trump has exempted these drug companies from his 100 percent tariffs,” Warren said. “So think about that. Big Pharma makes billions of dollars in tariff relief by listing their drugs on TrumpRx, and then they don’t even lower the costs on many of these drugs. That is a great deal for Big Pharma. So, Secretary Kennedy, here’s my question: Did you sign off on these sweetheart deals for Big Pharma, or was this all President Trump’s idea?”
Kennedy claimed that tariff relief was available only to companies that agreed to produce their drugs in the U.S. within the following year, and Warren asked if he had negotiated those agreement and when he would make those deals available to Congress for review.
“I’ve already said this,” Kennedy said. “I’m happy to make the deals available, except for proprietary information and trade secrets.”
“I will hold you to that, Mr. Secretary, because if these deals with Big Pharma are so great for Americans, then we should be able to see what promises have been made,” Warren interjected.
“You have the power to make this deal yourself,” Kennedy complained. “Why don’t you do that? Why did you – we did this because you refused to do it. You have a lot more power to negotiate than we do. We’ve got the lowest prices in history.”
Warren continued her attempt to ask another question about TrumpRx.
“Americans are getting crushed by health care costs,” the senator said, “and you and Donald Trump are actually making the problem worse. The American public deserves better.”
“Not on branded drugs,” Kennedy insisted.
Warren laughed out loud and mocked his reply.
“Oh, so your answer is Americans should just not take prescription drugs?” she said.
“We will be directing people to the generics, to the cheapest available,” Kennedy shot back. “But a lot of doctors prescribe the brands and we’re giving them massive reductions in the brands.”
“So those mass, mass discounts that people can pay,” Warren replied as Kennedy talked over her, “600 percent, they can pay hundreds of dollars on TrumpRx x or they can get it for $12 at Costco.”
At that point, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), the ranking Democrat on the finance committee, stepped in.
“This is the second instance of the secretary denying the public’s right to know,” Wyden said. “That’s all that the members on this committee have asked for.”
CNN’s producers cut away after Wyden’s interruption, and the “Situation Room” hosts reacted to the testimony.
“Pretty lively exchange,” Blitzer said.
“Yeah, I mean, not surprising in many ways, but certainly fiery,” Brown agreed. “It’s not clearly his first time being under scrutiny and a tough line of questioning from senator.”
– YouTube youtu.be
The post Elizabeth Warren and RFK Jr. engage in ‘fiery exchange’ over Trump’s ‘scam discounts’ appeared first on Raw Story.
