Senate rules referee weakens Dem drug plan in economic bill

The Senate's nonpartisan rules arbiter has dealt a blow to Democrats’ plan for curbing drug prices. But the parliamentarian has left the rest of the sprawling economic bill largely intact as party leaders prepare for first votes on a package containing many of President Joe Biden’s top domestic goals. Democrats were told to remove language imposing hefty penalties on drugmakers that boost their prices beyond inflation in the private insurance market. Those were the bill’s chief pricing protections for the roughly 180 million people whose health coverage comes from private insurance, either through work or bought on their own. Democrats plan to begin Senate votes Saturday on their package addressing climate change, energy, health care, taxes and deficit reduction.