Larsen, colleagues succeed in delaying new CBP rule harming access to lower-cost medications

||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN |||

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement:

“In the past few months, my office has received dozens of messages from constituents worried about how they are going to afford prescription medications if the Trump administration’s new CBP rule goes into effect on October 22. I urged the Administration to delay the rule and stop health care from getting even more expensive, and last week, the Trump administration caved to pressure and announced a delay of the rule. I will continue to advocate for a final rule that stops dangerous and illegal drugs from entering our country without stopping affordable prescription medications.”

On October 16, the Trump administration announced that it would delay implementation of new Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) procedures from October 22, 2026 to January 20, 2027. The new CBP procedures would increase regulations for international mail shipments, which could disrupt 2.3 million Americans’ longstanding ability to obtain lower-cost prescription medicines from Canada and other countries for personal use.

Earlier this month, Rep. Larsen joined a letter signed by 71 Members of Congress to Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy, Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Markwayne Mullin, Acting Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Kyle Diamantas and Commissioner of CBP Rodney Scott, urging the agencies to ensure Americans can continue obtaining non-controlled prescription medicines from outside the country.

“For years, our constituents who have struggled with high prescription drug prices have obtained their medicines from pharmacies outside the United States, especially from Canada,” the Members wrote. “We are concerned that the new process could be implemented in a manner that prevents personal-use prescription medicines from being shipped to the United States or results in their routine refusal, including medicines Americans have long obtained from licensed pharmacies abroad.”

The full text of the letter is available here.

Larsen Fights for Affordable Health Care

Increasing access to affordable health care in Northwest Washington is a top priority for Rep. Larsen. He is fighting to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits, and has hosted roundtables with Northwest Washington community members to discuss policies to expand access to affordable health care, including his legislation that would reverse burdensome paperwork requirements in Medicaid.