FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 16, 2022) — Today, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, which includes $750 billion for health care, the climate and taxes. This measure passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 220-207, right along party lines. Prior to it passed the Senate by votes of 51-50 along party lines, with Vice President Harris casting the tiebreaking vote.
This will:
- Lower out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs, bringing prices down and capping drug costs at $2,000 per year
- Lock in lower premiums under the Affordable Care Act, saving 13 million families an average of $800 a year.
- Drive our country towards a clean energy future that fights the climate crisis
The following statement can be attributed to Liz Seaton, Policy Director, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund:
“These climate and healthcare investments will be instrumental for quality of life for our diverse LGBTQ community. LGBTQ people are more likely to experience homelessness and poverty, making them more vulnerable to the climate crisis. People who are LGBTQ know what it is like to create diverse, sustainable, and live-saving solutions – and face potentially life-threatening hardships through climate change.
We are grateful for the Senate and House Democrats’ leadership in advancing this bill and President Biden for signing it into law. While we are in full support of these investments made for our climate and healthcare, we cannot dismiss the fact that this bill is a pared back version of the Build Back Better plan.
In President Biden’s original $1.7 trillion domestic package, the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund advocated for far more substantial investments in affordable housing and for paid family leave. Queer people and families need homes, and affordable housing is the foundation of social mobility for people come from our most underserved communities. Paid family leave would offer LGBTQ families the time they need to care for children, older family members and people with disabilities, without sacrificing the income needed to pay rent and utilities and buy food. We will work to ensure these programs are included in future legislation to give our communities a fighting chance at the highest quality of life.”
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CONTACT:
Cathy Renna, Communications Director, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, (917) 757-6123, crenna@thetaskforce.org
The Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with the National LGBTQ Task Force. The Task Force Action Fund is the oldest grassroots LGBTQ network in America advancing LGBTQ liberation on both local and national landscapes to promote more vibrant and livable communities for LGBTQ people throughout the country. The Task Force Action Fund’s goal is to enlist and mobilize citizen activists that will help ensure that LGBTQ inclusive public policies are adopted at the federal, state, and local levels.