Executive Order 13938-Increasing Drug Importation To Lower Prices for American Patients
Issued 2020-07-24 by Donald J. Trump
Plain-English Overview
AI-generated summary explaining what this action does, who it affects, and why it matters
Executive Order 13938, signed by President Donald J. Trump in July 2020, is titled "Increasing Drug Importation To Lower Prices for American Patients." This executive action directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to take steps to expand safe access to lower-cost imported prescription drugs. Specifically, it involves facilitating waivers for individuals to import drugs if it poses no additional public safety risk and lowers costs, authorizing the re-importation of insulin for emergency medical care, and completing a process to allow the importation of certain prescription drugs from Canada. The order states it must be implemented consistent with applicable law.
This executive order is intended to affect American patients. It aims to address the issue that Americans spend more on pharmaceutical drugs than residents of other developed countries, often paying more for the exact same drugs. The purpose
AI-generated summary for educational purposes
Constitutional Analysis
How this action fits (or doesn't) within Article II authority and existing law
Executive Order 13938 addresses "Executive Order 13938-Increasing Drug Importation To Lower Prices for American Patients". Executive orders are a long-established exercise of presidential power, used by every President since George Washington. They are grounded in Article II of the Constitution, which vests executive power in the President and directs them to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed."
Executive orders cannot create new law, contradict existing federal statutes, or exceed the President's constitutional authority. The legitimacy of any specific order depends on whether it operates within statutory authority Congress has delegated, directs the executive branch on matters within its constitutional purview, or attempts to substitute executive policy for legislative choices. Courts can and do review executive orders for conformity with the Constitution and federal law.
Official Summary
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