Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to introduce the Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act, which would allow Americans to safely import prescription drugs from Canada, lowering costs, increasing access for consumers, and creating more competition in the pharmaceutical market.
“As President Trump tries to slash Medicaid and undercut Americans’ health care system to give more tax cuts to billionaires, I will continue working hard to find pathways to lower health care costs and actually improve the quality of care,” said Senator Whitehouse. “There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to work with our northern neighbors in Canada to safely import prescription drugs and give Rhode Island families more affordable options.”
Senator Whitehouse has long championed legislation to bring down prescription drug costs. In 2022, Senator Whitehouse helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to lower health care and prescription drug costs for American families. The IRA’s $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs under Medicare Part D went into effect in January. The IRA also enabled Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices, and the cost savings for the first 10 drugs will go into effect in 2026 with 15 more drugs to follow in 2027
The bill is cosponsored by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Angus King (I-ME), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Peter Welch (D-VT).
