The decline in drug prices in the United States to their lowest levels in more than 60 years has sparked debate about who deserves credit for this achievement: the Trump administration or legislation passed during Biden's term.
The White House has sought to present the decline as a direct result of President Donald Trump’s policies, while press reports and academic opinions link it to legislation passed during the administration of former President Joe Biden.
The White House posted a photo of Trump holding a copy of a Washington Post headline about prescription drug prices hitting their biggest drop in more than 60 years, and White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt reposted the photo, in a move that reinforced the administration’s political message.
During a meeting with journalists, Trump held up the printed copy in front of the cameras and invited the media to photograph it, before reading the headline aloud and asserting that the drop in drug prices was a major achievement during his presidency.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for July 2026 showed that prescription drug prices fell by 3.1% year-over-year, the largest annual decline since 1963.
However, health economics and public policy experts pointed out that a major aspect of the decline is related to the implementation of the provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, which was passed in 2022 during the Biden administration, and some of its key mechanisms came into effect in January 2026.
The law granted Medicare for the first time the authority to directly negotiate the prices of a range of high-cost drugs, resulting in new maximum prices for widely used drugs and a reduction in expenses borne by beneficiaries.
Richard Frank, professor emeritus of health economics at Harvard University, said that law enforcement was the most likely explanation for the decline, questioning whether Trump's policies were the main factor behind it.
Astasi Dositzina, a professor of health policy at Vanderbilt University, believes the law provides the most logical explanation for the decline.
In contrast, the White House continued to promote its narrative, with communications director Steven Cheung writing via the X platform: “All thanks to President Trump.”
The incident brings back to the forefront the recurring American conflict over the attribution of achievements, and the difference between the timing of the results appearing and the timing of the decisions that contributed to achieving them.
