In various states, a group with ties to Elon Musk, a known adviser to former President Donald Trump, is launching a series of advertisements targeting Republican lawmakers who support a federal drug pricing program. The targeted legislators express surprise at finding themselves in the crosshairs.
The video ad campaign, spearheaded by Building America’s Future, is entitled “Trump Underminers.” It takes aim at the federal 340B program, alleging it has become problematic and urges viewers to support Trump in fixing the issue. The ad particularly focuses on conservative legislators from Kentucky, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Tennessee, accusing them of wanting to unnecessarily expand the program. This is one of the initial indications of a Musk-related group mounting opposition against Republicans at the state level since Trump’s return to the political scene.
Legislators counter that their intention is to aid rural hospitals and they are perplexed by the criticism. They are also intrigued by why the group, financially backed by Musk, is focusing its efforts on them specifically.
The 340B program mandates that drug manufacturers offer discounts to hospitals serving uninsured and low-income patients, a policy expanded to rural hospitals in 2010. The ad airing on local networks accuses certain Republican legislators of undermining Trump and promoting the program’s expansion, and further claims that the program funds controversial medical procedures and services. Nebraska state Senator Brian Hardin, named in the ad, refutes these assertions outright.
The 340B program has long been the center of a lobbying struggle between hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. Each party has tried to rally lawmakers to either support or reform the program to their advantage. Senator Hardin speculates that pharmaceutical interests might be fueling the ad campaign against them, suspecting someone might have presented a slanted view of the facts to Musk to gain his backing.
North Dakota Republican Representative Jon Nelson dismisses the ad’s assertions, saying his legislative efforts have been solely focused on maintaining the 340B program as it stands. He believes that pharmaceutical companies oppose the program because they dislike offering drug discounts.
In Kentucky, Senator Stephen Meredith emphasizes that his legislation does not pertain to the 340B program. His concern is about ensuring fair access to 340B medications and discounts for healthcare providers serving predominantly rural, economically disadvantaged populations. Meredith and others are puzzled by the unexpected spotlight on their bills, which aim to uphold hospital access to the program.
Tennessee representative Esther Helton-Haynes praises the program’s benefits and criticizes the ad as misleading, suggesting its purpose is to distract from real patient needs. In a direct response to the ad, she has revised her bill to clarify it does not interfere with existing state laws on gender-affirming care and abortion.
The motives of the group, Building America’s Future, remain ambiguous. They have not clarified the reasoning behind their campaign. Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical trade group PhRMA denies any affiliation or financial support to the group, though it shares a critical stance toward the 340B program’s current implementation.
The ad campaign spans various regions, including broadcast markets in Nashville, North and South Dakota, and Nebraska. Building America’s Future has also tried to influence voter perspectives in pending elections through similar campaigns. Recently, the group displayed a truck in North Dakota spreading messages opposing what it claims the 340B program is funding.
