Democrats tried to overturn a ruling by the Senate rules official, the congressman, that the $35-a-month cap on insulin costs under private insurance did not comply with the budget reconciliation process, which allowed Democrats to pass the bill them with an absolute majority. The cap, which was proposed by Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., needed 60 votes to pass and remain in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). It ultimately failed by a vote of 57-43. Republicans Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, John Kennedy of Louisiana and Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska voted for the measure with Democrats. All 43 “no” votes came from Republicans. Eliminating the cap was quickly seized upon by Democrats and sparked controversy beyond them, with GOP critics citing the sometimes staggering cost of necessary insulin for diabetics. Republicans, in turn, accused Democrats of rigging a vote that they said amounted to a technicality rather than a policy difference. Senator Raphael Warnock speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, August 6, 2022. Patrick Semansky/AP “Fake Democrats and their friends in the corporate media are at it again, twisting a Democratic ‘gotcha’ vote. In reality, Democrats wanted to break Senate rules to pass the insulin pricing cap instead of passing regular order,” tweeted Republican Ron Johnson. then, noting that he previously “voted for an amendment, which Democrats blocked, to provide insulin at cost to low-income Americans.” Although the proposed limit was not expected to win the 10 Republicans needed to preserve the measure as part of the broader Democratic reconciliation deal — the 60-vote limit would have overcome the congressman’s objections to using the 51-vote reconciliation — The process allowed the party to put GOP senators on the record for a populist policy. Republicans used a similar tactic in voting for Biden’s immigration policy as part of potential IRA amendments. The congressman had said the insulin cap would violate the Byrd Rule, which requires a measure to have an effect on the federal budget that is not “merely incidental” in order to qualify to pass through reconciliation. The congressman, meanwhile, allowed Warnock’s $35 insulin cap to apply to those covered by Medicare.
