After many hours of muddling through votes on political gotcha amendments, the Senate is poised to pass the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. This historic legislation includes long sought reforms in healthcare and the tax code, as well as the biggest effort in U.S. history to combat climate change.
The House has recessed, but is expected to return to Washington to vote and send the bill to President Biden to sign into law.
For the first time ever, Medicare will be allowed to negotiate the price of prescription drugs for the more than 60 million Americans covered by the program. An additional 13 million people will benefit from the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that have lowered working families’ premiums by $800 a year on average.
To make the tax code fairer, the largest corporations will pay a minimum tax of 15 percent—roughly the same rate as the average working taxpayer. Enhanced support for the IRS will allow the agency to reverse staff cuts, which have undermined service to taxpayers, and ensure compliance with tax laws and regulations.
To address the climate crisis, the bill supports and expands programs to produce clean energy and reduce emissions, especially in rural and disadvantaged communities. New subsidies will put electric cars—as well as the pump savings they bring—within the reach of working families. The bill will also reduce utility bills and strengthen America’s clean energy manufacturing base.
We’ll keep you posted as events warrant and resume our weekly emails after Labor Day.
In solidarity,
Marc Egan
Government Relations Director
National Education Association
Support the Social Security Fairness Act and the Social Security 2100 Act to repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) that deprive educators of benefits they have earned.
CHEER: 215 Democrats and Republican Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA) and Chris Jacobs (NY) supported the Assault Weapons Ban that passed House on July 29.
JEER: 213 Republicans and Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar (TX), Vicente Gonzalez (TX), Jared Golden (ME), Kurt Schrader (OR), and Ron Kind (WI) opposed the Assault Weapons Ban that passed the House on July 29.