With a near party-line vote, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill aimed at curbing the rising cost of medications.

Although the bill has little chance of advancing any further in Washington, Democrats are hailing it as a victory.

“The people in my district are very, very concerned about not being able to afford their prescriptions,” said Rep. Alma Adams, D-12th District, explaining why she supported the legislation.

Among the reforms, the bill empowers the federal government to negotiate prices for drugs. For Medicare recipients, it also caps out-of-pocket costs for medicine at $2,000 per year.

“People are making critical decisions about whether they take their medication, whether they should have their prescriptions filled,” Adams said. “Even when they get them filled, should they take as prescribed or should they buy food?”

But Republicans argue this legislation is not a good approach, citing concerns it could reduce the number of drugs coming to market.

“It will really hurt, in my opinion, what the hallmark of innovation in the United States is known for, and that is developing new drugs, new cures, and new treatments,” said Rep. Greg Murphy, R-3rd District.

Murphy, himself a doctor, backed a GOP-crafted plan that, among other things, pushes to increase price transparency.

“I think we can attack high drug prices in a much better, more surgical approach,” Murphy said.

This Democrat-backed bill is considered dead on arrival in the Republican-controlled Senate. President Donad Trump opposes it, despite voicing support for allowing the government to negotiate prices while on the campaign trail in 2016. 

The White House is instead urging lawmakers to focus on a Senate plan, which itself has an unclear future.