WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-03) released the following statement following passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA):
“Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act is a positive step forward for our nation, but leaves much to be desired. The IRA will lower the deficit, lower the cost of health care, lower energy costs all while enforcing the law against wealthy tax cheats who for too long have skirted the law in paying their fair share. Medicare will finally be able to negotiate the price of prescription drugs, prevent excessive price hikes, and cap out-of-pocket costs. This bill will begin our journey to renewable energy by extending renewable energy tax credits, providing incentives for energy storage, advanced technology, domestic manufacturing and modernizing our infrastructure. It will green our transportation sector and help make clean vehicles affordable. It will help reduce climate hazards for frontline communities that continue to bear the brunt of climate change.”
“While there’s much to be celebrated in this bill, I am disappointed that corporations making record profits at the expense of the American people will only pay a fraction of what they should. Most concerning, while this is the most historic climate bill in U.S. history, it is only a drop in the bucket of what we need to save our planet from calamity. We spent trillions of dollars to save lives and rescue our economy during the pandemic, and I fear that the impacts of climate change will wreak even more havoc on our daily lives and force us to spend even more money if we don’t act more aggressively. Tying our transition to a clean energy future to fossil fuels will only delay the inevitable at the cost of human health and economic consequences disproportionately impacting poor, Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities. After decades of ignoring scientists’ warnings, the action we are taking today must be the first of many to follow. ”
“The fact remains that the Inflation Reduction Act is progress in face the of unanimous Republican opposition who continue to side with profit and politics over people and prosperity. Republicans are a threat to our democracy. They stand in the way of progress and desperately spread falsehoods in order to protect wealthy tax cheats and the obscene profits of Big Pharma. I, along with my Democratic colleagues, will fight for hard-working families – not billionaires and special interests – and continue to support legislation that will lower costs, act on climate, create better-paying union jobs, protect voting rights and reproductive freedoms, and build more equitable and sustainable communities.”
A summary and break down of the Inflation Reduction Act can be found here.