President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

ALPENA — U.S. House of Representatives candidate Callie Barr, D-Traverse City, hosted a campaign press briefing for what she calls a health care “crisis situation” in Northern Michigan, on Tuesday.

The same day, the Trump Administration struck a deal with Pfizer to lower drug costs for Americans.

If Barr successfully wins the primary election in August, she will run against U.S. Congressman Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, next year.

Barr opened the briefing by stating that the federal government cuts to Medicaid will contribute to a decrease in access to care in Northern Michigan.

“If these cuts remain, if health insurance is less accessible because of rising costs, we’re not going to have health care in rural areas,” Barr said. “This is a dire situation. We absolutely depend on Medicaid. Hospitals here are already on very tight margins and struggling to survive.”

Shortly before Barr’s event, the Trump Administration announced their deal with Pfizer in which the world leading pharmaceutical manufacturer will allow all their medications to be covered by Medicaid. They will also lower costs for their pharmaceuticals, and invest $70 billion in domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing and research.

During Barr’s briefing, The News had the opportunity to request a comment from Barr regarding the Pfizer deal. Barr stated that she would have to know more about the deal before commenting fully.

“I’d like to point out that just because a drug is manufactured here does not mean that it’s cheaper for us to buy,” Barr added. “One thing that we need to make sure is that we know how much drugs cost, that we can negotiate any drug here in the United States, which is not currently the case … we need a lot more transparency.”

Bergman told The News that the Pfizer deal is “a win” for Americans.

“President Trump’s announcement is welcome news for those of us who have long advocated for bringing production and manufacturing back to the U.S. and making life-saving prescriptions more affordable for seniors and families,” Bergman said. “Anytime we can lower drug costs while creating jobs at home and ending reliance on foreign manufacturing, that’s a win. If other companies follow Pfizer’s lead, it could create a ripple effect that not only makes critical medications more accessible but also delivers real, meaningful savings for the families who rely on them.”

President Donald Trump led a press conference on Tuesday to mark the official deal and inform the American public that the agreement is a “critical step forward to our work and to improve health care.”

Trump stated during his press conference that the United States makes up 4% of the world’s population and consumes 13% of all prescription drugs. However, he added that pharmaceutical companies make 75% of their profits from the United States.

To combat these statistics, Trump’s Administration negotiated the deal with Pfizer to “offer all of their prescription medications to Medicaid,” Trump said.

“It’s going to have a huge impact on bringing Medicaid costs down … like nothing else,” Trump added.

According to Trump, Pfizer will also offer “some of their most popular current medications to all consumers at heavily discounted prices.”

Trump said that discounts could range between 50-100%.

“In some cases, even more than that, these drugs will be available for direct purchase online at a website operated by the federal government,” Trump added.

Trump explained that Americans will pay for Pfizer products at the price for which other countries are paying.

In addition to the price reductions, Pfizer has also committed to invest $70 billion to “reassure domestic manufacturing facilities … they’re going to make it in the United States,” Trump said. He added that Pfizer will invest in research, as well.

According to Trump, his administration is working on securing similar deals with other pharmaceutical manufacturing companies.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also spoke at Tuesday’s press conference.

“This is something Democrats have wanted for 20 years. Republicans have wanted for 20 years,” RFK said. “Everybody said they’re going to do it. Nobody has even taken a step towards doing it. And the reason was because it was such a daunting task.”

Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.