By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, it is hereby ordered: My first term included significant actions to lower prescription drug prices for American patients. The message was clear: no longer would the executive branch allow pharmaceutical manufacturers to charge patients more than those in other countries for the same medications. These efforts included promoting generic drugs and ensuring that government discounts reached patients.

These actions were delivering real savings for Americans and laying the groundwork to narrow the price gap with other nations. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration reversed many of these initiatives with the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act. Although it aimed to reduce Medicare drug prices, its complexity has led to lower savings than expected, while changes to the Part D program inflated premiums and limited seniors’ options.

The American people deserve better. It is time to restore the progress made during my first term to ensure lower prescription drug prices and prioritize the health of Americans. This order establishes policies to optimize federal healthcare programs for lower drug costs while improving the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program and reducing Part D premiums.

Additionally, actions will be taken to reevaluate middlemen, increase competition for high-cost drugs, enhance transparency in pharmacy benefit managers, and combat anti-competitive behavior in the pharmaceutical industry. These measures aim to ensure all Americans have access to necessary medications and will be implemented within specified timeframes.