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Trump unveils health-care plan outline as Congress wrestles over Obamacare subsidies

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Trump unveils health-care plan outline as Congress wrestles over Obamacare subsidies


U.S. President Donald Trump, in front of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., delivers remarks at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., Sept. 22, 2025.

Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

President Donald Trump on Thursday rolled out the broad outline of a health-care plan that the White House claims will lower drug prices and insurance premiums.

The announcement came as a congressional effort to extend key Affordable Care Act tax credits faces headwinds from Senate Republicans, leaving millions at risk of seeing their health insurance premiums spike.

The Trump administration dubbed the initiative “The Great Healthcare Plan,” the president said in a video unveiling the policy Thursday morning.

“I’m calling on Congress to pass this framework into law without delay,” Trump said. “Have to do it right now.”

The plan would codify the deals Trump recently struck with major drugmakers to slash the cost of certain prescription drugs in the U.S. by pegging them to lower prices abroad, as part of his “most-favored-nation” policy.

More than a dozen pharmaceutical companies agreed to lower prices on certain products for Medicaid patients in exchange for a three-year exemption from tariffs.

As part of those deals, companies also agreed to sell some medicines at a discount on Trump’s direct-to-consumer platform, Trump Rx.

Trump, in his video announcement, said those lower drug prices will take effect on the platform when it launches this month. He claimed that those prices would plunge by as much as 500%, even though that would mean prices would fall far below $0.

The health-care framework would “make more verified safe pharmaceutical drugs available for over-the-counter purchase,” according to a White House fact sheet.

It would also purportedly send money for health insurance coverage “directly to the American people” instead of giving “big insurance companies billions in extra taxpayer-funded subsidy payments,” the fact sheet says. Trump has repeatedly floated similar proposals in recent remarks.

The plan would additionally “fund a cost-sharing reduction program,” which the administration says would “reduce the most common Obamacare plan premiums by over 10%.”

Other components of the policy include requiring health insurers to prominently post coverage comparisons “in plain English” on their websites, along with other information about overhead costs and claim denial rates.

It would also require providers who accept either Medicare or Medicaid “to publicly and prominently post their pricing and fees to avoid surprise medical bills.”

The new proposal from the White House comes as senators remain at loggerheads on a deal to extend the now-lapsed ACA, or Obamacare, subsidies. A bipartisan group of senators has been working for weeks on a way forward, but hit a snag recently on language relating to the Hyde Amendment, a statute that bars the use of federal funds for abortion services.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 15, 2026.

Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters

The White House plan notably leaves out an extension of the ACA subsidies, which Democrats are demanding be extended as a part of any health-care deal. The White House had not publicly put forward a proposal until Thursday, but Trump has repeatedly said he wants funds to go directly to patients rather than insurance companies.

Some negotiators wondered whether the White House plan would hamper negotiations.

“We’ve all known that in order to be able to advance something, we’re going to have to have buy-in from the White House,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, one of the negotiators, told reporters Thursday. “Does this set things back if he signals that he does not support extending [the subsidies]? I mean, that’s the basis of our plan here.”

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who is leading talks on the Democratic side, said Thursday that she hadn’t yet seen the Trump plan, but signaled optimism about the discussions.

“Most of the areas have agreement, so what we need to do is get bill text together and then get final sign-off so that we can talk to our colleagues about what we’re proposing,” Shaheen told reporters.

A White House official on Thursday said the plan does not close the door on extending the subsidies, but lays out the president’s preferences.

“This does not specifically address those bipartisan congressional negotiations that are going on,” the White House official said. “It does say that we have a preference that money goes to people, as opposed to insurance companies.”

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Anthropic officially designated a supply chain risk by Pentagon

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Anthropic officially designated a supply chain risk by Pentagon



The supply chain risk designation of the artificial intelligence firm is a first for a US company.



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FDA official calls UniQure’s gene therapy a ‘failed’ treatment for Huntington’s disease

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FDA official calls UniQure’s gene therapy a ‘failed’ treatment for Huntington’s disease


Thomas Fuller | SOPA Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images

UniQure needs to run another study to prove that its gene therapy “actually helps people with Huntington’s disease,” a senior U.S. Food and Drug Administration official said on a call with reporters Thursday.

The official, who requested anonymity before discussing sensitive information, confirmed the agency has asked the company to run a placebo controlled trial of its treatment, which is administered directly into the brain. UniQure has said that type of study isn’t ethical because it would require putting people under general anesthesia for hours, a characterization the official disputed.

“So what is really going on? UniQure is the latest company to make a failed therapy for Huntington’s patients,” the official said. “They likely acknowledge or understand at some deep level that their trial failed years ago, and instead of doing the right thing and running the correct clinical study, UniQure is performing a distorted or manipulated comparison in the mind of FDA.”

The comments mark the latest development in a messy public spat between UniQure and the FDA, and as the agency comes under fire for a number of recent drug approval application rejections, including some where companies have accused it of going back on previous guidance. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary in an interview with CNBC’s Becky Quick last week seemingly criticized UniQure’s gene therapy for Huntington’s disease. Makary didn’t name UniQure but described its treatment.

UniQure then accused the FDA of reversing its stance that the company’s clinical trial data would be sufficient to seek approval. UniQure’s study used an outside database to measure how patients with Huntington’s disease might decline without treatment, known as an external control. UniQure has said it wouldn’t be feasible to run a true randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study, considered the gold standard, because it wouldn’t be ethical to make people undergo a sham hours-long brain surgery.

The FDA official said the agency “never agreed to accept this distorted comparison” and the FDA “never makes such assurances.” Instead, the “FDA will always say, ‘Well, we have to see the data when we get it.'”

UniQure didn’t immediately comment.

The company’s stock rose more than 10% on Thursday and has fallen 58% this year as of Thursday afternoon.



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Ogra warns of strict action against illegal hoarding of petroleum products – SUCH TV

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Ogra warns of strict action against illegal hoarding of petroleum products – SUCH TV



The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on Thursday warned of strict action against any individual or entity found involved in the illegal hoarding of petroleum products at unauthorised locations, particularly at places other than duly licensed oil depots and retail outlets of Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).

In a statement, an Ogra spokesperson said: “Any premises found involved in the illegal storage of petroleum products will be sealed.”

The spokesperson assured the public that the country currently holds sufficient stocks of petroleum products to meet national demand and that there is no need for panic buying or hoarding.

In view of the prevailing geopolitical situation, the official said that the authorities are closely monitoring the petroleum supply chain to ensure the uninterrupted availability of products across the country.

“The existing stock position remains comfortable and well within the prescribed requirements,” read the statement.

Reports have indicated that certain elements may attempt to hoard petroleum products for profiteering under such circumstances, the spokesperson said, adding: “To curb such practices, all provincial chief secretaries have been requested to direct deputy commissioners (DCs) to conduct inspections within their respective jurisdictions.”

Meanwhile, teams of Ogra are actively monitoring the situation in the field, the official added.

Inspections are being carried out at oil depots and retail outlets to ensure the smooth supply of petroleum products and to prevent any malpractice, read the statement.

Ogra advised the public not to pay attention to rumours and to maintain normal consumption patterns, as the petroleum supply situation in the country remains stable.

Uninterrupted petroleum supply top priority: FinMin

Separately, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has said that ensuring uninterrupted availability of petroleum products across the country is the government’s top priority.

The finance czar made the remarks while chairing a meeting of the committee to Monitor Petrol Prices in the Wake of the Emerging Situation in the region, constituted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in Islamabad today.

The committee was briefed that national reserves remain at comfortable levels, with sufficient cover available for key products, and that there is no immediate cause for concern regarding the availability of petroleum products.

It reviewed multiple supply and pricing scenarios to ensure preparedness under different contingencies and to maintain stability in domestic energy supplies.

The committee will finalise its recommendations by tomorrow for onward submission to the prime minister.

It will continue to meet on a daily basis to monitor developments, review stock positions and supply chain movements, and ensure timely execution across all stakeholders.

The committee also noted that “war premium” dynamics and intensified competition for energy cargoes, particularly in Asian markets, could raise external account pressures if volatility persists.

The body reviewed ongoing efforts to strengthen supply assurance through diversified sourcing and logistics arrangements.

The committee also considered shipping and operational measures to reduce time lags, including facilitation of timely berthing and the use of available national shipping capacity where feasible.

To safeguard orderly market conditions, the committee discussed measures to deter hoarding, illegal storage, and diversion, including coordinated enforcement actions by provincial administrations in close collaboration with the Ogra and relevant agencies.

The committee emphasised that preventing outward smuggling and ensuring uninterrupted domestic distribution will remain a top operational priority, and that real-time field intelligence and strict action against violations will be maintained.



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