Presidential hopeful Kamala Harris (D-CA) on Tuesday unveiled her plan to force pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices.
Her proposal, dubbed “People Over Profit,” would authorize the federal government to set “fair” rates for all prescription drugs that are sold at lower prices in economically comparable companies like France, Germany, and Australia.
The proposal also calls to import more drugs from Canada and to end a tax break drugmakers receive to offset TV ads. Companies who fail to follow federal price standards will be hit with a 100% tax on profits.
“As President, I will not stand idly by as Americans pay thousands of dollars for prescription drugs while big pharmaceutical companies rake in massive profits. This plan puts people over profit by forcing these companies to reduce prices for consumers and holding them accountable when they gouge Americans,” said Harris. “As Attorney General, I secured more than $200 million from pharmaceutical companies for California consumers, and as President, this will be a top priority in my first 100 days. We need someone who can fight to deliver results for the concerns that keep Americans up at night, like the skyrocketing cost of prescriptions.”
If Congress fails to pass the “People Over Profit” proposal during her first 100 days in office, she added, Harris will use executive action to launch an investigation into price gouging. Harris has already promised to use executive orders to achieve her goals on gun and immigration policies if Congress fails to work with her.
Earlier this month, she vowed to give black families $100 billion to help them buy houses.
Author’s Note: The high cost of prescription drugs is a chief concern for most Americans, but polls suggest voters see Bernie Sanders as the strongest candidate on the issue (26%), followed by Joe Biden (18%), Elizabeth Warren (16%), and then Harris (10%).
Furthermore, Harris’s proposal to force drugmakers to meet federal rates (whether profit or loss) is moving into fascist territory. A “fascist” is a follower of a political philosophy characterized by authoritarian views and a strong central government (with no tolerance for opposing opinions).
In 1996, Italian historian Emilio Gentile described fascism in “10 elements” including: “Corporative organization of the economy that suppresses trade union liberty, broadens the sphere of state intervention, and seeks to achieve, by principles of technocracy and solidarity, the collaboration of the ‘productive sectors’ under control of the regime, to achieve its goal of power, yet preserving private property and class divisions.”
The high price of drugs is a major problem in the United States, but forcing pharmaceutical companies to match prices in other countries is not the best way to go about solving it.
Harris also supports socialized healthcare.