Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke welcomed the passage by Congress of Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration’s sweeping climate and health plan. The Inflation Reduction Act passed the House of Representatives on Friday, August 12, 2022 with 220 votes in favor and 207 against, about a week after the Senate vote.
“…I am finally thrilled to know that the change Americans need and demand has arrived. For communities of color, our seniors, pregnant and postpartum women, low-income individuals and families, and all those who have long borne the brunt of too many hardships to list, the Inflation Reduction Act represents the vital first steps they have so long and desperately waited for,” the New York 9th Congressional District representative enthused in a statement copied to ZoomHaitiNews and CaribbeanTelevisionNetwork.
The law of Reduction of Inflation estimated at more than 430 billion dollars, 370 billion of which are intended for the climate. For the Democratic Congresswoman, this is the most important investment made by the Congress (dominated by Democrats) of which she is a member since 2007. She says she believes “this legislation will directly prevent thousands of premature deaths by improving air quality in densely populated communities with high environmental justice needs.
The co-founder of the Haitian Caucus in the U.S. Congress views the passage of the sweeping Biden Climate and Health Plan as a “monumental and generational investment in the future of our of the United States as it will reduce prescription drug and energy costs, expand health coverage to millions of Americans, and provide vital resources in our fight against the climate crisis, all while creating millions of good-paying U.S. jobs for America’s most underserved communities.”
“Thanks to the hard work and unwavering determination of Speaker Biden, my colleagues in Congress, and all those who have taken seriously their duty to fight tooth and nail to improve the lives of all Americans entrusted to our care, our quest for progress has never been stronger,” said Yvette D. Clarke, who says she is proud and privileged to have voted for passage of the Inflation Reduction Bill.
Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke notes that the Inflation Reduction Act ensures funding for many of her priorities in the 117th Congress. These include, among other things, the $4,000 in consumption tax credits for low- and middle-income households to purchase clean vehicles; and up to $7,000 for households below a certain income threshold to purchase new vehicles. $2 billion in grants to upgrade existing auto manufacturing facilities to make clean vehicles.
Congreswoman notes that through her Electric Vehicle for Underserved Communities Act, she has advocated for the distribution of publicly accessible charging infrastructure and charging stations in multifamily housing, such as public and affordable housing.
Yvette D. Clarke also mentions the Clean Fuels and Clean Commercial Vehicle Tax Credits and Grants to reduce emissions in the transportation sector; the $27 billion Clean Energy Technology Accelerator to support deployment of technologies to reduce emissions in historically underserved communities; $9 billion for federal purchases of American-made clean technologies, including $3 billion for USPS to purchase zero-emission vehicles; $1 billion for clean heavy-duty vehicles such as school buses, transit buses, etc.
The chairwoman of the House Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Innovation Subcommittee ultimately said that through her Climate Justice Act, she has called for the creation of a Climate Justice Task Force made up of representatives from federal agencies, community organizations, cities, states, etc. with a mission to help the country make a fair and equitable transition to a clean, climate resilient, and zero-emissions economy.
President Joe Biden is expected to release the “Inflation Reduction” bill this week. A decision that New York’s 9th District Congresswoman says she is looking forward to.
