About 45 minutes into President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers shouted over him: “HR 3! HR 3!”
The reference was to a Democratic House bill on drug pricing, also known as “the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act.” It passed in the House after being introduced by the late Rep. Cummings, but hasn’t been taken up by the Senate yet.
Trump had just finished speaking about the “long, tall and very powerful wall” being built on the country’s southern border and was moving on to discuss prescription drug prices. The chant came when Trump said, “Working together, Congress can reduce drug prices substantially from current levels. I’ve been speaking to Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and others in Congress in order to get something on drug pricing done and done quickly and properly. I’m calling for bipartisan legislation that achieves the goal of dramatically lowering prescription drug prices. Get a bill on my desk and I will sign it into law immediately.”
“HR 3! HR 3!” yelled Democratic members of Congress, holding up hand signs that showed a number 3. Many of the female Democratic congresswomen wore white to honor suffragists.
Trump continued to talk over them, moving on to address the American opioid overdose epidemic and the fight against the coronavirus.
Among the president’s other talking points Tuesday night included strengthening the border wall, the investment in Space Force and planting the American flag on Mars, appointing more conservative judges, banning late-term abortions and protecting 2nd Amendment rights.
Watch the chanting below:
WATCH: Democrats chant "HR 3," referencing bill on drug prices, in response to President Trump's call for legislation to lower prescription drug prices. pic.twitter.com/zqbUvoldWB
— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 5, 2020