Sen. Amy Klobuchar Amy KlobucharSocial media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day Battle lines drawn on precedent in Supreme Court fight Sunday shows - Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death dominates MORE (D-Minn.) said she thinks the Obama administration missed a key opportunity to lower drug prices when it passed the Affordable Care Act.

In an interview with CNN that aired Friday, the 2020 presidential candidate criticized the influence of the pharmaceutical industry during ObamaCare negotiations.

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“I would have liked to see this be part of the Affordable Care Act. But it wasn't, in part, because they were working with the pharmaceutical companies on the premiums issue,” Klobuchar said. “They were working with them on getting support for the Affordable Care Act because they knew that pharma could stop that bill in its tracks.”

Hospitals, doctors, insurers and even the medical device industry all took payment cuts as a way to pay for the law’s massive expansion of health coverage.

But the pharmaceutical industry remained relatively unscathed, and nothing in the law allowed Congress or the White House to take action on lowering drug prices.

Tackling rising prescription drug prices is a bipartisan issue in Congress and on the campaign trail, as public polling suggests the issue is a top concern among voters. Democrats and Republicans broadly agree there’s a problem, but are divided over the solutions.

Klobuchar is one of more than a dozen Democrats currently running for president and jockeying to show they can lead on drug pricing reforms.

Klobuchar said she and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley Charles (Chuck) Ernest GrassleyCollins says she will vote 'no' on Supreme Court nominee before election The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Trump, GOP allies prepare for SCOTUS nomination this week Gardner signals support for taking up Supreme Court nominee this year MORE (R-Iowa) are committed to fixing what she said was something that was neglected by previous administrations of both parties.

“I see it as a missed opportunity, but now we must move forward,” Klobuchar said. “I think both parties have been guilty of not bringing these [bills] up and there’s one party in charge right now, and that’s the Republican Party, and I want to see them bring these bills up for a vote, and I think we can pass them.”

As chairman of the Finance Committee, Grassley is trying to shine a spotlight on drug pricing. Last month, the CEOs of seven major drug companies were grilled by committee members about pricing practices.

Grassley and Sen. Ron Wyden Ronald (Ron) Lee WydenGOP set to release controversial Biden report Democrats fear Russia interference could spoil bid to retake Senate GOP senator blocks Schumer resolution aimed at Biden probe as tensions run high MORE (D-Ore.), the Finance Committee's ranking member, also invited five pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to testify next month. Lawmakers have been just as critical about the role of PBMs, which negotiate drug benefits with manufacturers for insurance plans and employers, as they have with drug manufacturers.