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Dems divided on Trump’s executive order aimed at slashing drug prices
President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at slashing U.S. drug prices has divided Democrats on Capitol Hill, with some cautiously optimistic while others dismissed the move as a bluster.
Most Democratic lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital about the order noted they had not read into the details, but the reactions were mostly split.
«It certainly seems more bark than it is bite,» Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the House Ways & Means Committee, told Fox News Digital.
Neal said it «strikes me as though it’s another example of the executive order that garners a lot of attention» with little impact, though he noted he was still looking into the details.
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President Donald Trump signed an order aimed at lowering prescription drug costs. (Fox News)
Rep. George Latimer of New York, a first-term Democrat who unseated a former member of the progressive «Squad,» ex-Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., signaled he was hopeful about the initiative.
«If we can keep drug costs low, that’s a positive thing,» Latimer said. «I don’t, you know, oppose everything the president does, things that help people lower costs. If that’s what this turns into, then yes, it’s a worthwhile idea. But I have to be honest, I’ve got to read it more closely to understand it better.»
Trump announced Monday that he was directing the Department of Health and Human Services to set price targets for pharmaceutical companies.
The president said the order would have pharmaceutical companies set drug prices on par with the lowest prices in other developed countries.
He said, «some prescription drug and pharmaceutical prices will be reduced almost immediately by 50 to 80 to 90%.»
Democratic Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., told Fox News Digital when asked about the order, «It’s always a good thing to reduce drug costs.»
«I think it’s a move in the right direction, let’s just see the details,» Correa added.
Rep. Lou Correa said he was optimistic but needed to see more details. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, like Neal, told Fox News Digital he was more skeptical.
«My feeling is that, like his…announcements during his first term, there’s much talk and no meaningful reduction of drug prices,» Doggett said. «It remains to be seen whether any patient in America will see a price reduced on a single drug as a result of this order. So, until I see action, I will not believe that he has truly committed to reducing prices.»
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., also said he did not believe Trump was «serious» when asked.
«All of this is just a disingenuous effort…on the part of House Republicans and Donald Trump, to pretend like they were looking out for people,» Aguilar said. «If they were serious about it, the policy would be placed within their reconciliation bill. It’s not. This is just a performance effort by the president.»
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Meanwhile, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., introduced a House bill to make Trump’s order permanent.
«I rise today, to introduce as legislation, President Trump’s executive order for the most favored nation status on drug pricing,» Khanna said on the House floor.
«My legislation will codify President Trump’s executive order, which basically says that Americans should not pay more for drugs than people in other countries and other parts of the world.»
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguliar said he did not believe President Donald Trump was «serious.» (Fox News Digital)
In an exclusive Fox News interview with Sean Hannity, Trump argued that his executive order should offset Democrats’ concerns with his «big, beautiful» budget reconciliation bill being pushed by Republicans.
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Democrats have accused Republicans of using the bill to gut critical programs like Medicaid for millions of people who need it, while the GOP has contended it was just trying to eliminate waste and abuse within the system.
«It’s the Democrats’ fault that people are being ripped off for years and years. And now I hear Democrats saying, ‘Oh, well, we’re going to not go for the bill.’ It’s going to be very hard for them not to approve of the big, beautiful bill that we’re doing,» Trump said. «We’re doing the biggest tax cuts in the history of our country because people are going to be getting a 50 to a 90% reduction on drug prices.»
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a response.
House Of Representatives,Health Care Regulations,House of Representatives Democrats,Donald Trump
INTERNACIONAL
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1.- La mayor derrota en las urnas
2.- Economía
3.- Conflicto armado interno
La Policía de Ecuador se enfrenta con manifestantes durante una protesta este domingo, en Quito (Ecuador). Foto EFE4.- Crisis carcelaria
5.- Crisis diplomática con México
6.- Tensiones políticas
7.- Relaciones internacionales
INTERNACIONAL
Trump orders Epstein files release, welcomes Mamdani, crown prince to White House in busy week
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President Donald Trump kicked off the week meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and closed the week meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
He also signed legislation ordering the Justice Department to release files related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Here’s a look at what happened this week.
Epstein files
Trump announced Wednesday evening that he put his stamp of approval on a bill instructing the Justice Department to release files related to Epstein — after Congress passed the measure Tuesday.
TRUMP SAYS WHETHER HE WOULD SIGN EPSTEIN FILES BILL
«I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!» Trump wrote in a lengthy message on the Truth Social platform. «As everyone knows, I asked Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, to pass this Bill in the House and Senate, respectively. Because of this request, the votes were almost unanimous in favor of passage.
«At my direction, the Department of Justice has already turned over close to fifty thousand pages of documents to Congress. Do not forget — The Biden Administration did not turn over a SINGLE file or page related to Democrat Epstein, nor did they ever even speak about him.»
Trump’s ties to Epstein had faced increased attention after Trump’s Justice Department and FBI announced in July it would not unseal investigation materials related to Epstein, and that the agencies’ investigation into the case had closed.
Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump pose together at the Mar-a-Lago estate, Palm Beach, Florida, Feb. 22, 1997. (Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)
TRUMP CALLS ON HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO VOTE TO RELEASE EPSTEIN FILES: ‘WE HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE’
However, Trump announced Nov. 16 that he backed releasing the documents, claiming that he had «nothing to hide.»
Ultimately, the House voted Tuesday to release the files by a 421–1 margin, following pressure for months from the measure’s ringleaders, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and other Democrats.
The Senate passed the measure by unanimous consent later Tuesday.
BIDEN’S SAUDI FIST BUMP DREW HEAT IN 2022 — TRUMP JUST ROLLED OUT THE RED CARPET
Mamdani meeting
Mamdani visited Trump at the White House Friday, and the two appeared chummy and ready to launch a fresh start in their relationship. The two said they discussed addressing affordability issues and improving conditions in New York.
Trump said the two had more in common than he anticipated, and that he would be «cheering» for Mamdani as he leads the city.
«I expect to be helping him, not hurting him — a big help,» Trump said.
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump take questions from the press following their one-on-one meeting, Friday, in the Oval Office of the White House. (Pool/Fox News)
EPSTEIN REFERENCED TRUMP IN PRIVATE EMAILS TO GHISLAINE MAXWELL AND OTHERS, NEW RECORDS SHOW
Trump also brushed off Mamdani’s comment labeling him a despot in his victory speech following the Nov. 4 election, with the president claiming Friday he’s encountered worse and that he believes Mamdani will change his tune as the two work together.
«I’ve been called much worse than a ‘despot,’ so it’s not, it’s not that insulting,» Trump said. «I think he’ll change his mind after we get to working together.»
Saudi crown prince meeting
Trump also met with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House Tuesday, an occasion that included a red carpet rolled across the South Lawn, military honor guard, and an Air Force flyover to elevate the formal state-level welcome.
During bin Salman’s visit, the U.S. announced that it would sell F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia, and that it would now be a «major non-NATO ally» to facilitate military cooperation between the two countries.
«President Trump approved a major defense sale package, including future F-35 deliveries, which strengthens the U.S. defense industrial base and ensures Saudi Arabia continues to buy American,» the White House said in a statement.
Trump’s reception of bin Salman is a departure from the Biden administration, who said in 2019 during his presidential campaign that he would make Saudi Arabia «the pariah that they are» because of the death of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
President Donald Trump’s reception of Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman is a departure from the Biden administration. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. intelligence agencies concluded in 2021 that bin Salman gave the green light on the operation that took Khashoggi’s life. Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident, was brutally murdered in Istanbul at the Saudi consulate in 2018.
But Trump defended bin Salman Tuesday, and accused a reporter who asked about U.S. intelligence reports linking the prince to Khashoggi’s death of embarrassing bin Salman.
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«A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about,» Trump said Tuesday. «Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but he knew nothing about it. And would you leave it at that? You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question.»
Even so, bin Salman has dismissed the reports as false. When asked Tuesday about Khashoggi, bin Salman said it’s «painful» to hear of the death of anyone for «no real purpose,» and «we are doing our best that this doesn’t happen again.»
donald trump,white house,jeffrey epstein,zohran mamdani,saudi arabia
INTERNACIONAL
Israel eliminates Hezbollah’s top military commander Haytham Ali Tabatabai in targeted Beirut strike
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah’s chief of staff, in Beirut, calling him a «mass murderer» responsible for attacks on Israelis and Americans.
Netanyahu framed the strike as part of Israel’s ongoing effort to dismantle Hezbollah’s leadership and prevent the group from rebuilding its arsenal after recent operations. He warned that Israel would not tolerate future threats from Lebanon and urged its government to disarm Hezbollah.
«A few hours ago, the IDF eliminated Ali Tabatabai, the chief of staff of the Hezbollah terrorist organization,» Netanyahu said. «Tabatabai is a mass murderer. His hands are soaked in the blood of many Israelis and Americans, and it is not for nothing that the U.S. put a bounty of $5 million on his head.»
The prime minister said Tabatabai was a senior commander in the Radwan Force, which he said prepared to invade the Galilee and kill Israeli civilians.
ISRAELI STRIKE TARGETS HAMAS LEADERSHIP IN QATAR
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Nov. 23, 2025, that Israel Defense Forces killed Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah’s chief of staff, in Beirut. (Jacquelyn Martin/Getty Images)
Netanyahu said Tabatabai most recently led Hezbollah’s efforts to rearm after the group suffered major losses in the «Pager Operation,» including damage to missile stockpiles and the killing of Nasrallah.
«I thank the IDF and the security forces that carried out a professional, accurate and successful operation today,» Netanyahu said. «The policy I am leading is absolutely clear: Under my leadership, the State of Israel will not allow Hezbollah to rebuild its power and we will not allow it to pose a threat to the State of Israel again.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH BORDER TENSIONS RISE AS TERROR GROUP REARMS, RESISTS US- BACKED CEASEFIRE
Hezbollah terrorists are taking part in cross-border raids in 2023. (Fadel Itani/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
«I expect the government of Lebanon to fulfill its commitment to disarm Hezbollah,» he added. «Because only in this way can a better future be made possible for every citizen in Lebanon and only in this way can good and secure neighborly relations be established between Israel and Lebanon.»
Netanyahu also commended President Donald Trump for vowing to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, saying the group endangers stability throughout the Middle East and beyond.
NETANYAHU CALLS ON NEIGHBORING NATIONS TO JOIN ISRAEL IN ‘EXPELLING HAMAS’ FROM REGION
Hezbollah members salute and raise the group’s yellow flags during the funeral of their fallen comrades Ismail Baz and Mohamad Hussein Shohury, who were killed in an Israeli strike on their vehicles, in Shehabiya in south Lebanon on April 17, 2024. (AFP via Getty Images)
Hezbollah confirmed Tabatabai’s death by posting a photo on its Telegram accounts, signaling the loss of one of its top commanders. A translation of the image’s caption reads, «Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah. The great jihadi leader Haitham Ali Tabatabai (Sayyed Abu Ali), 1968–2025.»
Earlier Sunday, the prime minister’s office said the IDF carried out the Beirut strike on the recommendation of the defense minister and the IDF chief of staff. Shortly after the operation, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel will continue to act decisively against threats from Lebanon.
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«Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have his hand cut off,» Katz said. «Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I are determined to continue the policy of maximum enforcement in Lebanon and elsewhere. We will not allow a return to the reality before Oct. 7.»
benjamin netanyahu,middle east,lebanon,terrorism
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