Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Jayapal Celebrates House Passage of Inflation Reduction Act

WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement upon House passage of the Inflation Reduction Act:

“Today, Democrats are keeping our promises to the American people and advancing key progressive priorities. After more than a year of negotiations and even longer campaigning on these issues, the Democratic majority in Congress has unanimously sent a sweeping bill to tackle climate action, tax fairness, and lower drug costs to the President’s desk. Like their Senate colleagues, not a single House Republican voted for this legislation, despite its popularity with the majority of Americans across the political spectrum.

“I’m incredibly proud of the role our Progressive Caucus played in getting us here. From the very beginning, progressives have fought tooth and nail to advance the full scope of the President’s economic agenda. We would not be passing this bill today had the CPC not insisted we move that agenda from a promise to legislative text that passed the House. Together with movements, activists, and volunteers from across the country, we insisted this Democratic majority deliver. In its major provisions, the Inflation Reduction Act draws on the House-passed Build Back Better Act. Essentially, it also achieves our shared goals in a progressive way: lowering costs of necessities, creating good jobs, and attacking climate change, while raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations. 

“The Inflation Reduction Act contains a hugely important set of investments to lower prescription drug costs, extend health coverage for millions, act on climate change while creating millions of jobs, and finally start to ensure the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes. This bill will put the United States on a path to reduce our carbon pollution by 40 percent by 2030, investing in renewable energy technologies that will drive down energy costs and accelerate our transition away from fossil fuels. It will cap seniors’ annual drug costs and their cost of insulin, and institute a 15 percent minimum tax on large corporations. 

“We will remain vigilant as we begin the process of implementing this bill to ensure the funding is delivered in an equitable way — particularly when it comes to investing in frontline communities and advancing environmental justice. We also look forward to ensuring that upcoming discussions around permitting reform protect communities and further the underlying goals of this bill. Progressives will not stop fighting for the pieces left on the cutting room floor: Medicare expansion, home care, Pre-K, universal child care, housing, workers’ rights, immigration justice, and for affordable insulin for all, after Republicans outrageously stripped it from the bill. With our continued commitment, engaged movements across the country, and two more Democrats in the Senate, we can ensure the full agenda the American people voted for in 2020 is enacted into law.”

Issues: Environment, Health Care, Jobs, Labor, & the Economy