Congresswoman Gwen Moore Votes to Pass Historic Inflation Reduction Act

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Moore voted to pass the historic Inflation Reduction Act, which takes critical steps to address the climate crisis, build a fairer tax system, and lower personal costs including health care, energy bills, and the price of prescription drugs. In response, she released the following statement:

"Once again, the Biden administration and Democrats are advancing a once-in-a-generation piece of legislation and putting people over politics. Unlike Republicans who use inflation as a political tool and offer no plan to address it, Democrats are directly tackling inflation and acting to lower costs that families worry about.

Democrats' have persistently worked to lower the cost of prescription drugs, and this measure will expand access to more affordable, life-saving prescription drugs for Medicare recipients. For years, Big Pharma has gouged seniors, setting sky high prices for essential medicine and forcing too many to ration their prescriptions or skip paying bills. I am so proud we secured a provision allowing Medicare to negotiate the prices of the most expensive medicines, cap Medicare Part D out-of-pocket drug spending at $2,000 per year and the price of insulin is capped at $35 for Medicare patients. Shamefully but unsurprisingly, Republicans stopped millions more with private insurance from accessing affordable insulin because they put Big Pharma above people.

In the American Rescue Plan, Democrats made health care more affordable than ever with tax credits that lowered premiums and now, were extending these benefits to millions of Americans.

The Inflation Reduction Act takes historic climate action, using incentives like tax credits that make it more affordable for Americans to use clean energy in our homes, including solar panels, electric water heaters, and electric HVAC. I'm so glad that the IRA includes my proposal creating a tax credit to make home energy audits more affordable by allowing taxpayers to offset up to $150 of the cost of a home energy audit. These investments will lower energy costs for Americans in the long-term and give more Americans greater opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint.

This legislation also empowers states, tribes, and municipalities to develop plans to fight pollution while expanding manufacturing in clean energy to support good-paying jobs. I'm proud that my proposal to extend the direct pay provisions to tribal governments was included, incentivizing tribal communities to pursue renewable energy projects. Direct pay offers a cash payment in lieu of tax credits such as the investment tax credit and production tax credit, enabling tribal governments which do not have tax liability, to monetize the tax credits. I am also pleased to see equity at the center of these climate action proposals, with $3 billion dedicated to support vulnerable communities most at risk to the impact of climate change. I am looking forward to these climate justice measures benefiting communities in Milwaukee.

And we are paying for this bill in part by helping ensure the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share in taxes, including by providing the IRS with resources to enforce our tax laws. Republicans have purposefully underfunded the IRS, allowing Americans and large companies with the most funds and resources to dodge paying taxes. We're providing monies to the IRS for tax enforcement to go after these sophisticated, wealthy individuals and big corporations -- not working people.

Too many families still lack affordable childcare, housing, and paid family and medical leave, too many Black women are losing their lives because of the maternal health crisis, and more than 2 million Americans are denied affordable health care because Republicans in their state refused to expand Medicaid. Making investments in families, affordable housing, maternal health, and health care remain my key priorities, and I am still fighting to address these critical needs. While this legislation required compromises and is imperfect, I am so thrilled to support the Inflation Reduction Act, which will have a positive impact on my constituents and millions of other Americans."

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