Bernie Sanders' 'Trump Proposal' To Lower Drug Prices Blocked By Senate Republicans

Sen. Bernie Sanders and President-elect Donald Trump don't agree on much, but they seem to have found some middle-ground when it comes to drug prices.

Sanders said in a press release Tuesday that he proposed an amendment that would lower the cost of prescription drugs by allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices and also allow the importation of low-cost prescription drugs from other countries.

Sanders has been a leading figure in advocating for change against drug prices and has never shied away from challenging pharmaceutical companies such as Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ARIA directly.

The former presidential candidate added that both of these proposals have been advocated by Trump.

However, Republicans blocked Sanders' amendment.

Unlikely Ally?

Sanders quoted Trump saying in a speech back in February when he criticized the existing law, which forbids Medicare from negotiating prices with pharmaceutical companies.

Specifically, Trump said, "We are not allowed to negotiate drug prices. Can you believe it? We pay about $300 billion more than we are supposed to, than if we negotiated the price. So there's $300 billion on day one we solve."

Sanders' press release added that Trump also called for the legalization of importing cheaper drugs from other countries.

"I am sure that all of my Republican colleagues will support an amendment in my hands that will do exactly what Mr. Trump said he would accomplish as president," Sanders was quoted as saying to his Senate colleagues.

"It is incomprehensible to me that we have a major bill dealing with prescription drugs and yet we are running from the most important issue and that is the greed of the pharmaceutical industry," the press release added. "The prescription drug industry, along with Wall Street, is the most powerful political force in America. I have been fighting the greed of the prescription drug industry for decades. And, as far as I can tell, the prescription drug industry always wins, but the American people lose."