Elizabeth Warren challenges RFK Jr. in contentious exchange
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) gestures as Pete Hegseth, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of defense, testifies before a Senate Committee on Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 14, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) engaged in a heated exchange with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during Wednesday's Senate Finance Committee testimony, challenging him to release information about tariff reductions for pharmaceutical companies on TrumpRx.
Warren accused the administration of granting Big Pharma sweetheart deals, noting that companies received tariff relief exemptions but did not lower drug costs for consumers.
Kennedy claimed tariff relief required companies to commit to U.S. drug production within a year and agreed to share deals with Congress while withholding proprietary information.
Warren pressed him on, questioning why Americans pay hundreds of dollars for TrumpRx when identical drugs cost $12 at Costco. Kennedy defended the program, citing "lowest prices in history" and offering generics as alternatives.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) intervened, stating Kennedy was denying the public's right to know details.
CNN hosts Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown described the exchange as notably heated and contentious.