By Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – White House climate adviser John Podesta on Tuesday touted the benefits to Republican states and districts of incentives offered by the Biden administration’s signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act.
Podesta said in a speech in Washington that he was confident the law, which provides billions of dollars in tax credits to help consumers buy electric vehicles and businesses produce renewable energy, could continue to be successful if Republicans take over. control of the White House and Congress in the November elections, despite political rhetoric.
U.S. House Republicans have tried to repeal part or all of the law 42 times, Podesta said, despite it benefiting Republican states, with most of their new jobs created in Republican-represented congressional districts.
“Understandably, people are asking whether this investment can actually last, regardless of who is in power here in Washington. My answer to the question of whether the Inflation Reduction Act has staying power is yes,” Podesta said at an event organized by the think tank Third Caminho.
He said that even though no Republicans voted for the IRA when it passed in 2022, the districts and states led by these lawmakers accounted for 58% of the new jobs created due to the law’s investments, according to the advocacy group Climate Power.
Podesta mentioned several states, such as Oklahoma and South Carolina, where Republican politicians have publicly celebrated state investments that have emerged as a result of IRA tax incentives. He also pointed to a letter from House Republicans that urged party leadership to protect provisions of the IRA.
The letter sent to House Speaker Michael Johnson earlier this month by 18 Republican representatives urged him not to repeal the entire IRA if the party gains control of the House and Senate.
“A complete repeal would create a worst-case scenario where we would have spent billions of taxpayer dollars and received almost nothing in return,” the letter said.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
