As Costs For Seniors Skyrocket, Gillibrand Calls on Trump to Focus on Lowering Prices, End Revolving Door of Special Interests
Today, as costs for seniors continue to climb, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), the top Democrat on the Senate Special Committee on Aging, demanded that President Trump release the list of the most recent Medicare-negotiated drug prices. She also blasted President Trump for bringing Big Pharma executives and special interests to the White House to tout ambiguous “deals,” offering little insight into how, when, or even if they will lower costs for Americans.
“As costs continue to skyrocket, Americans deserve clarity about how much they will need to pay for the medications they rely on,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The Medicare negotiations Democrats fought for are lowering prescription drug prices, and I’m proud to have helped pass legislation that will deliver real savings for older Americans. The Trump administration should end their revolving door show of pharmaceutical industry representatives, immediately release the 2027 Medicare-negotiated prices, and focus on making a difference for older Americans struggling under the weight of high costs.”
Senator Gillibrand’s call comes as the cost of groceries, energy, and other everyday essentials continue to climb for American seniors, while Social Security cost-of-living adjustments fail to keep pace. Newly announced Medicare Part B premium hikes will take up roughly one-third of the average annual Social Security benefit increase next year.
“You continue to host flashy Oval Office press conferences announcing so-called ‘historic’ drug pricing deals standing beside pharmaceutical company CEOs,” the senators wrote in a letter to President Trump. “We are skeptical, and implore you to release the 2027 Medicare-negotiated prices. This will lay bare the facts: Medicare drug price negotiations meaningfully lowers the price of prescription drugs, unlike your opaque Oval Office announcements.”
Seniors and taxpayers will save billions of dollars due to Democrats giving Medicare the long overdue power to lower drug prices in 2022. The 15 Medicare-negotiated drugs that will be lowered in January 2027 include medications like Ozempic and Xtandi, though the Trump administration has not yet announced their prices. In one year alone, Medicare has spent more than $40 billion on these 15 drugs. On the other hand, President Trump and Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill” bailed out some of the world’s best-selling drugs from being included in Medicare negotiations, forcing seniors suffering from illnesses such as cancer to pay sky-high prices for life-saving drugs.
“Your false promises on drug prices follow the same tired pattern of big talk about lowering costs without delivering. It is time to release the 2027 Medicare-negotiated drug prices so the American people can learn what to expect about their drug costs and see which party’s drug pricing policies actually make a difference for their pocketbook,” the senators concluded.
In addition to Ranking Member Gillibrand, the letter is cosigned by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), as well as Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
As the top Democrat on the Senate Aging Committee, Senator Gillibrand is continuing her longstanding fight to increase benefits and lower costs for seniors. She recently introduced the Social Security Emergency Inflation Relief Act, which would provide a $200-per-month increase to Social Security checks until July 2026, and the Boosting Benefits and COLAs for Seniors Act, which would increase Social Security benefits by leveraging the formula used to calculate yearly cost-of-living adjustments to better account for seniors’ expenses. In response to Trump administration cuts and overhauls at the Social Security Administration, she has rallied alongside seniors and unions to demand a reversal of staffing and service reductions, and she introduced the Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act to undo President Trump’s damage to the agency.
Senator Gillibrand is also part of Senate Democrats’ Social Security War Room, a coordinated effort to fight back against the Trump administration’s attacks on Social Security and to ensure the American people can continue to rely on these essential programs that they have earned. The War Room coordinates messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders; encourages grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them; and educates Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about the Republican agenda and their continued cuts to Americans’ Social Security services and benefits.
The full text of the letter can be found here.
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