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# White House Backs Off Report Trump Vowed to Help Drug Price Bill
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/white-house-backs-off-report-trump-vowed-to-help-drug-price-bill/
- Published: 2017-03-09T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T22:10:50.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, #legacy-id-D5138170

After meeting 3/9 with Maryland Democrat **Elijah Cummings**, the White House backed off a commitment Cummings said President Trump made to help Democrats push through legislation to give the federal government power to negotiate drug prices, particularly under Medicare. Cummings had described the president as being very much onboard with such negotiating power to bring down drugs costs, especially when he was told congressional Republicans would oppose the effort, according to a *The Hill* [report](http://thehill.com/homenews/house/323067-cummings-trump-commits-to-strong-push-for-medicare-drug-price-negotiation?ref=fdaweb.com) on the meeting.

“We told him that he’s going to have a difficult time with his own party, that was going to be the most difficult thing, and he said he really didn’t care,” Cummings said. “He said that that \[this was\] something very important to him … he agreed that the people in the Rust Belt, just like the people in Baltimore, need relief... He felt that they have been treated very unfairly by the drug companies and he said that it was something that he really wants to do,” Cummings added. “He said that he would join us in pushing a bill through.” Cummings added that Trump is interested in allowing government price negotiations for pharmaceuticals beyond what the Democrats have proposed.

Cummings said Trump is also interested in another drug policy reform — allowing Americans to buy and import prescription drugs from abroad, according to *The Hill*. “He brought that up and said he had absolutely no problem with pushing that kind of legislation,” Cummings said, adding that he was “kind of surprised” Trump was endorsing the idea. “He said that as long as the safety considerations were in the legislation that he could be supportive … He volunteered that.”

  
Then the White House backed away from Cumming’s account. An official [readout](https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/03/08/readout-president-donald-j-trumps-meeting-congressman-elijah-cummings?ref=fdaweb.com) of the meeting did not go into detail of their conversation, other than to say: “President Trump expressed his desire to work with Congressman Cummings in a bipartisan fashion to ensure prescription drug prices are more affordable for all Americans, especially those who need lifesaving prescription medications. Reforming the Food and Drug Administration and reducing the regulatory burdens on drug manufacturers so as to enhance competition will help accomplish those goals.”