The president is expected to talk about caping the rising cost of prescription drugs, which was in his Build Back Better bill that died in December 2021. He’ll be joined by Rep. Abigail Spanbeger (D), who represents the district and is mounting a re-election campaign despite the district boundaries being redrawn in December and no longer including her home in Richmond’s western suburbs.
“Addressing this affordability crisis has been one of my top priorities since arriving in Congress. For Virginia’s seniors, the rising cost of lifesaving prescription medications is creating significant uncertainty,” said Spanberger in a press statement.
Last year, Spanberger voted for a $2,000 cap on how much Medicare patients pay out of pocket for their prescription drugs and a $35 per month cap on insulin for patients in Medicare Part D and the commercial market. Both provisions were to be included in the Build Back Better bill.
Biden came to Arlington to stump for Terry McAuliffe last year during Virginia’s gubernatorial election. Since then, the president’s approval rating has fallen to 39% — one of the lowest for any president.
Spanberger faces a growing sea of Republicans who are high off Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s win in November and want to take back the 7th District seat they lost in 2018.
“I think that this is a good indicator that Abigail Spanberger is desperate and afraid of the outcome come November, and Biden’s visit is a clear indicator,” said Yesli Vega, Prince William County’s Coles District Supervisor and a congressional candidate in the 7th District. “You have somebody that portrays herself as a moderate, but 100% of the time votes with the president. I think that she doesn’t clearly understand the new makeup of the 7th District, but we’re happy to show her what that new makeup looks like.”
Vega is one of at least five Republicans who will face off in a Primary Election for their party’s nomination to run later this spring.
