By ALAN FRAM and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press
WASHINGTON – A House committee on Wednesday slammed President Joe Biden’s huge social and environmental infrastructure package, derailing a money-saving plan to allow Medicare to negotiate the price it pays for prescription drugs .
U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader of Oregon cast one of the key Democratic votes against the drug pricing plan.
The Chamber of Commerce and Energy Committee votes to withdraw the proposed 10-year, $ 3.5 trillion spending plan from Biden’s firm was not necessarily fatal. The separate House Ways and Means Committee kept him alive by approving an almost identical drug pricing language.
Still, the rejection of the provision by a committee highlights the influence that moderates who want to curb new spending (or any small group of Democrats) have while Biden and party leaders try to push the whole package through the Congress closely divided.
In the face of unanimous Republican opposition, Democrats will be able to lose just three votes in the House and into the Senate 50-50 to send the full measure to Biden. This is a precarious margin of what will be a huge bill linked to numerous politically sensitive spending and tax initiatives.
The votes of the committees on pharmaceutical drugs came when Biden held face-to-face meetings with two moderate Democratic senators who have said the size of the $ 3.5 trillion proposal is too large. Separate sessions with Mr. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia highlighted an intensification of the White House to prevent Democratic defections.
The vote on energy and trade on the language of drug prices was 29-29, with three moderate Democrats joining Republicans to oppose it: California Representative Scott Peters Kathleen Rice of New York and Schrader of Oregon. Votes tied in Congress are often insufficient to keep legislative provisions alive.
Schrader, who inherited a fortune from his grandfather, who was the top executive of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, has accepted large donations from the big pharmaceutical company during his seven terms in Congress.
Henry Connelly, a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said reducing drug costs “will remain a cornerstone” of the party’s push for the general bill, the top priority Biden National Park.
Democrats have provisions on the price of drugs to pay for a modest but significant portion of their $ 3.5 trillion plan to strengthen the safety net, tackle climate change and fund other programs. Advocates say $ 600 billion could be saved in the next decade.
The legislation would allow Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies, using as a criterion the lowest prices paid in other economically advanced countries. The savings produced would be used to expand Medicare coverage by adding dental, visual and auditory benefits.
The Energy and Trade vote showed “real concerns with Speaker Pelosi’s extreme drug pricing plan,” Debra DeShong, chief spokeswoman for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said in a statement. The industry claims that the drug negotiation plan would lead to price controls that reduce investment in research into new care and promising treatments.
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., One of the main proponents of drug pricing, said there was “no excuse” for Democrats to bow to the “pharmaceutical extremely greedy and powerful “. “The American people will not accept surrender,” he added.
Biden’s talks with Sinema and Manchin occurred when centrists ’concern about the overall cost of the bill provoked a delicate hunt by party leaders for a limit figure that moderate, progressive lawmakers could endorse.
“Today’s meeting has been productive and Kyrsten continues to work in good faith with his colleagues and President Biden as this legislation unfolds,” Sinema spokesman John Labombard said. His assessment was a positive sign in a process that has seen progressives and party moderates raise conflicting demands.
Biden and Democratic leaders backed the $ 3.5 trillion figure, but in recent days they have been more cautious about its final size. The huge package faces unanimous opposition from Republicans, who say their proposals are wasteful and would affect the economy.
The measure would push utilities to produce cleaner energy, expand Medicare coverage, create new child care and family leave programs, and offer free preschool and community college.
There would be a number of tax credits to help families cope with the costs of health care and parenting. Much would be paid by raising taxes on the rich and corporations.
On Wednesday evening, the 13 committees of the House with pieces of the general environmental and social bill had finished their work, achieving a goal set by Democratic leaders.
Democratic leaders would love to send full legislation to Biden for signature in the coming weeks, but many think the political solution and political complications the party will face will take much longer. White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Wednesday that she expected Congress to move the legislation ahead of an international climate conference in November.
Manchin has been a particularly outspoken critic of the general bill. He called for a “pause” in the legislation and said Sunday he could not stand for $ 3.5 trillion, suggesting a $ 1 trillion to $ 1.5 trillion limit.
Progressives, who initially called for a $ 6 trillion plan, said it would be unacceptable to reduce the package to Manchin’s rank.
The House Roads and Media Committee passed its share of the bill 24-19, with moderate Florida Rep. Stephanie Murphy the only Democratic vote against. He cited “provisions on expenses and taxes that give me pause,” but expressed optimism that he would support a final version.
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Associated Press reporters Zeke Miller, Jonathan Lemire, Lisa Mascaro, Marcy Gordon and Alexandra Jaffe contributed to this report.