{"id":2572811,"date":"2026-02-24T05:53:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T10:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/conservative-opposition-to-trump-drug-pricing-bankrolled-by-big-pharma\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T05:58:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T10:58:00","slug":"conservative-opposition-to-trump-drug-pricing-bankrolled-by-big-pharma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/conservative-opposition-to-trump-drug-pricing-bankrolled-by-big-pharma\/","title":{"rendered":"Conservative opposition to Trump drug pricing bankrolled by Big Pharma"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fconservative-opposition-to-trump-drug-pricing-bankrolled-by-big-pharma%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2572811&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article examines conservative opposition to the Trump administration\u2019s drug-pricing efforts and how it is indeed partly funded by PhRMA, the pharmaceutical industry trade group.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; A coalition of about 50 conservative groups sent a letter to Congress opposing the administration\u2019s move to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fda-panel-decongestants-in-allergy-medicines-are-ineffective\/\" title=\"FDA Panel: Allergy Medicines&#039; Decongestants Proven Ineffective.\">compel drug companies<\/a> to lower US prices, including threats of tariffs to reduce profitability. Of the 52 signatories, 19 have accepted PhRMA funding between 2019 and 2024, with PhRMA contributions totaling over $9 million in that period.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The rhetoric used by these conservative groups largely mirrors PhRMA\u2019s own messaging, arguing that reduced domestic profits would impair R&#038;D and innovation, possibly increase US dependence on China, and blame PBMs and the 340B programme for high prices.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Coverage of the letter often did not disclose PhRMA funding, and the story spread through multiple outlets, including local news, amplifying the controversy around Trump\u2019s policy.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; PhRMA-funded signatories include a broad array of think tanks and advocacy groups (e.g., ITIF, american commitment, Pacific Research Institute, the Council for Affordable Health Coverage, and others), many of which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-may-soften-gun-crime-laws-citing-impact-on-people-of-color\/\" title=\"California May Soften Gun Crime Laws, Citing Impact On People Of Color\">received significant funding<\/a> from the trade group during 2019\u20132024.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Some groups funded by PhRMA have taken positions not aligned with the industry, suggesting that funding does not uniformly dictate policy stances, though the sheer scale of PhRMA\u2019s giving gives its preferences a privileged platform in national debates.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >article notes ongoing arguments<\/a> from PhRMA and its allies about innovation, American competitiveness, and the need for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-is-rekindling-obamacare-debates-here-are-the-candidates-stances\/\" title=\"Trump reignites Obamacare debates; candidates&#039; positions revealed\">market-based approaches<\/a>, while also highlighting a broader pattern of industry-linked groups shaping policy discussions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Conservative opposition to Trump drug pricing plan partly bankrolled by pharmaceutical industry<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2394552\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Some of the conservative groups publicly opposing the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" id=\"339\">Trump administration&rsquo;s<\/a> effort to force down <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/drugs\/\" id=\"555\">drug prices<\/a> are bankrolled by PhRMA, a trade organization with a vested interest in undoing the president&rsquo;s policy.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, just over 50 conservative groups <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/atr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2-12-2026-ATR-Coalition-Letter-Against-Codifying-MFN.pdf\">issued a letter<\/a> to Congress opposing the Trump administration&rsquo;s move to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/4447308\/trump-announce-launch-trumprx-drug-discount-site\/\">compel <\/a>drug companies to reduce prices in the United States by threatening them with tariffs, thus harming their profitability. Of the 52 signatories, 19 have accepted funding from PhRMA at some point between 2019 and 2024. In sum, PhRMA &mdash; funded by and representing the interests of the pharmaceutical industry &mdash; paid groups appearing on the congressional letter just over $9 million during those five years, tax records <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1sUgKnQGibmCsWY4JRz87PpktfSInd7z-mpbqTyT_VMk\/edit?usp=sharing\">show<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4464506\/first-antifa-terrorism-trial-mistrial-need-know\/\">First antifa terrorism trial restarts following mistrial: What you need to know<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4464348\/conflict-of-interest-byron-donalds-financial-interest-bitcoin-pushes-pro-crypto-platform\/\">&#8216;Conflict of interest&#8217;: Byron Donalds takes financial interest in Bitcoin as he pushes pro-crypto platform<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4466009\/anti-ice-church-protesters-insist-case-is-not-spreading-conspiracy-requiring-extensive-evidence-review\/\">Anti-ICE church protesters insist case is not spreading conspiracy, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/anti-ice-church-protesters-insist-case-is-not-spreading-conspiracy\/\" title=\"Anti...ICE church protesters insist case is not spreading conspiracy\">requiring extensive evidence review<\/a><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The rhetoric marshalled by the conservative groups to oppose President Donald Trump&rsquo;s drug pricing policy aligns with that used by PhRMA itself.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Both the conservative letter and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/phrma.org\/resources\/stat-phrma-ceo-most-favored-nation-policy-isn-t-the-way-to-lower-drug-prices\">statements <\/a><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/phrma.org\/resources\/phrma-statement-on-most-favored-nation-executive-order\">issued <\/a>by PhRMA argue that, by reducing drug manufacturers&rsquo; domestic profits, the Trump administration will make it more difficult for pharmaceutical corporations to recoup their research and development costs, thereby reducing the number of new drugs by disincentivizing innovation. PhRMA and the conservatives also argue that such a policy could make the United States dependent on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\/\" id=\"232\">China<\/a> for new treatments, further highlighting messaging alignment.<\/p>\n<p>PhRMA also blamed pharmacy benefit managers and abuses of the 340B drug discount policy for high drug prices in the United States in response to Trump&rsquo;s drug price maneuvering, talking points that previous reporting from the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>has found to be <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3485085\/push-rein-in-reduced-drug-cost-program-big-pharma\/\">promoted by groups<\/a> that are <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3906501\/phrma-cut-checks-ncl-attacking-enemies-pbms-340b\/\">funded by <\/a>PhRMA.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Eli Lilly Digital Health Innovation Hub facility in Singapore, on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (Ore Huiying \/ Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Oftentimes, large grantmakers such as PhRMA will fund groups that already agree with their preferred positions. In other words, the fact that the groups PhRMA funds produce messaging that lines up with industry interests is not necessarily evidence that PhRMA is paying people to secure alignment.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We engage with different organizations who have a wide array of healthcare opinions and priorities,&rdquo; PhRMA senior vice president of public affairs Alex Schriver told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;We may not agree on every issue, but we believe engagement and dialogue is important to promoting a healthcare policy environment that supports innovation, a highly-skilled workforce, and access to lifesaving medicines.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>That PhRMA has so much money to spread around, however, does give its preferences a privileged place in national discussions.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, the letter <span style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\">from the PhRMA-funded conservative groups received coverage in&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/healthcare\/5734862-conservative-leaders-oppose-trump-drug-pricing-policy\/\">multiple outlets<\/a>,&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiercepharma.com\/pharma\/can-trump-pull-his-mfn-drug-pricing-plan-former-biden-advisor-weighs\">including<\/a>&nbsp;a trade publication, without any&nbsp;<\/span>mention of pharmaceutical industry funding. The story was further <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WGNTV\/posts\/a-coalition-of-more-than-50-leaders-of-conservative-and-free-market-organization\/1459189985803704\/\">disseminated <\/a>through an array of local news outlets.<\/p>\n<p>This kind of coverage could heighten perceptions of controversy surrounding Trump&rsquo;s drug pricing policy, a favorable development for the pharmaceutical industry.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3408663\/big-pharma-lobbying-web-interests-groups\/\">HOW BIG PHARMA&rsquo;S WEB OF INTERESTS GROUPS PUSHES ITS AGENDA ACROSS THE COUNTRY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>PhRMA-funded signatories of the recent congressional letter included the Council for Affordable Health Coverage; the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation; American Commitment; the Pacific Research Institute; Consumer Action for a Strong Economy; the Center for Individual Freedom; the Committee to Unleash Prosperity; the Taxpayers Protection Alliance; the Competitive Enterprise Institute; the Trade Alliance to Promote Prosperity; 60 Plus, the American Association of Senior Citizens; the Institute for Policy Innovation; the Consumer Choice Center; Americans for a Balanced Budget; Citizens Against Government Waste; the Job Creators Network; the Frontiers of Freedom Institute; the Center for American Principles; and the Latino Coalition.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;ITIF&rsquo;s position is that U.S. policymakers are not doing enough to support one of America&rsquo;s most critical and innovative industries,&rdquo; a spokesperson for the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;So, from that standpoint, we do not believe PhRMA has a privileged position.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The spokesperson went on to point out that their organization discloses funding from PhRMA and its other supporters on its website.<\/p>\n<p>The Council for Affordable Health Coverage, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, and American Commitment each received more than $1 million from PhRMA between 2019 and 2024, while the Pacific Research Institute, Consumer Action for a Strong Economy, the Center for Individual Freedom, and the Committee to Unleash Prosperity each accepted $500,000 or more from the trade association during that period.<\/p>\n<p>Some groups funded by PhRMA are quick to point out that they don&rsquo;t always toe the industry line.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We get funding from the drug companies, but we also have taken positions that they don&rsquo;t like, for example, our strong support for requiring drug companies to post their prices or not get paid,&rdquo; Committee to Unleash Prosperity co-founder and noted economist Stephen Moore told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re always for free markets and always against price controls.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our policy positions are determined solely by our research and analysis; no supporter has a privileged position in shaping our work either,&rdquo; the ITIF spokesperson added.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>reached out to each of the groups mentioned for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PhRMA-funded conservatives oppose Trump drug plan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":894,"featured_media":2572812,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/17f091d671c01896fa66b0f1982ba70a-scaled.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[74423,4539,74422,3634],"class_list":["post-2572811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-big-pharma-2","tag-conservatives","tag-drug-pricing-2","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/17f091d671c01896fa66b0f1982ba70a-scaled.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2572811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/894"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2572811"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2572811\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2572815,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2572811\/revisions\/2572815"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2572812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2572811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2572811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2572811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}