Trump promised lower drug prices. Here’s how Congress virtually guaranteed the opposite

President Trump has repeatedly promised to bring down prescription drug prices. His Republican Congress says it shares that goal. But tucked inside the 2026 Consolidated Appropriations Act is a restructuring of the drug market that makes lower prices less likely, not more.

How does a Congress that promises lower prices end up weakening the bargaining tools that restrain them? The answer lies less in ideology than in political incentives. Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are opaque intermediaries—and...