Watch: GOP Senator Says Trump’s Tariffs Could Mean Safer Drugs — For a Price

Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, chair of the Senate Health Committee, tells KFF Health News that President Trump's proposed tariffs on imported generic drugs could raise prices for patients—but he says that's a worthwhile trade-off for national security. The U-S currently relies heavily on China for active ingredients in many antibiotics, giving China potentially dangerous leverage. Trump has proposed giving generic drug manufacturers two years to move production back to the United States, then imposing one hundred percent tariffs on imports, rising to two hundred percent the following year. Generic drugs account for roughly ninety percent of all prescriptions in America. Cassidy, a physician, also defended his confirmation vote for R-F-K Junior as H-H-S secretary, saying Kennedy broke promises not to disparage vaccines. That's especially significant this week, as Johns Hopkins researchers reported that measles cases confirmed in the U-S so far in twenty twenty-six already exceed the entire total for twenty twenty-five—the highest number in thirty-five years.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton