WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The second most powerful Republican in the U.S. Senate on Thursday said that a Democratic plan on drug pricing would not survive in the Republican-dominated chamber, calling it "heavy-handed."
Senator John Thune, who guides votes as the Republican whip, said the plan would be "dead on arrival" if it passed the Democrat-led House of Representatives and went to the Senate.
"It sounds like it's a very, very heavy-handed government intervention in the marketplace and essentially kind of killing the free market for drugs," Thune told reporters about the proposal released by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.