Vermont Senator Peter Welch has joined other Senate Democrats filing an amicus brief urging a court to uphold the ability of Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices.
On August 29th, the Biden Administration announced the first 10 prescription drugs that will be negotiated for Medicare prices under a provision that was included in the Inflation Reduction Act. The amicus brief was filed in the District Court for the District of Columbia in a case where the pharmaceutical company Merck is challenging the new law’s constitutionality.
Senator Welch says calls Merck’s lawsuit a “shameless attempt to use the judiciary to overturn the clearly expressed intent of the legislature...” He recently spoke on WAMC’s Congressional Corner:
“They’re fighting this every single step of the way,” he said.
Other Democratic Senators who signed the amicus brief include Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.