PISCATAWAY – So with Jeff Van Drew about to become a Republican, what precisely does it mean to congressional Democrats in Washington?

Not very much at all – at least according to fellow-freshman Rep. Tom Malinowski.

He said that Van Drew was not an “influential member” of the Democratic caucus and that he expected him to be equally non-influential as a new member of the Republican caucus.

Ouch.

Malinowski and two other Democratic congressmen, Frank Pallone and Donald Payne, were asked about the Van Drew defection at an event to highlight last week’s House passage of a bill to lower prescription drug prices.

“It really disturbed me,” said Pallone. “It’s obviously the wrong decision.”

Pallone said he was confident Democrats would nominate a candidate – they’re beginning to line up already – who would beat Van Drew in 2020, assuming he gets the Republican nomination.

Payne was mindful of Van Drew’s conservative (for a Democrat) views.

Philosophically intoning that “Everyone has to do what they have to do.” Payne said of Van Drew, “He probably should have started out there.” He added that by becoming a Republican, Van Drew is “being honest with himself.”

Nonetheless, Malinowski expressed some bewilderment, contending that siding with Republicans and Donald Trump may bring Van Drew short-term benefits, but that his political future is uncertain.

And as Malinowski put it, “He traded his soul for a tweet from the president.”

The official reason why three members on Congress came to the local senior citizen center on Monday morning was drug prices. The House last week passed a bill that would allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. Plans are to use the estimated savings over 10 years of almost $500 billion to provide vision, dental and hearing benefits to seniors under Medicare.

There really is no debate that rising drug prices need to be controlled. Trump said as much during the 2016 campaign.

Nonetheless, Senate Republicans oppose the bill, contending it would amount to price controls and hurt research and development of new drugs.

Pallone scoffed at that, saying negotiations are not price controls and that “big pharma” is reaping substantial profits.

The trio of Democrats said they hoped Republican opposition will soften next year. You can be sure Democrats will make their support for lowering drug costs a big campaign issue if the GOP Senate refuses to go along.

Just for the record, the House vote was very much a party-line type of thing.

And in case you are wondering, Van Drew, who was then a Democrat. voted in the affirmative.