Author: Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – White House climate adviser John Podesta on Tuesday touted the benefits to Republican states and localities of the climate change bill signed by the Biden administration, the Inflation Reduction Act.
In a speech in Washington, Podesta said he was confident the law, which provides billions of dollars in tax credits to help consumers buy electric vehicles and companies to generate renewable energy, could continue if Republicans take control of the White House and Congress. The November elections, despite the political rhetoric.
U.S. House Republicans have tried to repeal part or all of the law 42 times, Podesta said, even though it benefits Republican states because most of its new jobs are created in Republican congressional districts.
“Understandably, people are asking whether that investment can really be sustained regardless of who is in power here in Washington. My answer to the question of whether the anti-inflation law has staying power is yes,” Podesta said at an event hosted by Third. Way.
He said even though no Republicans voted for the IRA when it passed in 2022, districts and states led by those lawmakers accounted for 58 percent of the new jobs created by the investments required by the law, according to Climate Power.
Podesta cited several states, including Oklahoma and South Carolina, where Republican politicians have publicly celebrated the in-state investment that resulted from IRA tax incentives. He also referred to a letter from House Republicans urging party leadership to protect IRA regulations.
Earlier this month, a letter from 18 Republican representatives to House Speaker Michael Johnson urged him not to repeal the entire IRA if the party takes control of the House and Senate.
“A full repeal would create a worst-case scenario where we would have spent billions of taxpayer dollars and gotten almost nothing in return,” the letter said.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
