Utah’s four Republican congressmen Friday voted against the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act, which aims to address taxes, health care spending and climate change.
The $700 billion-plus package, which contains about $437 billion in new spending, passed the House 220-207. The Senate approved the 750-page bill on Sunday along party lines, with all 50 Senate Republicans, including Utah Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney, voting “no” and Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie in the evenly divided chamber.
“This is historic, and it is cause for celebration,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., lauding President Joe Biden, who is expected to quickly sign the bill. “We put people over politics.”
The legislation marks the largest investment in addressing climate change in U.S. history, allows Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies on the costliest prescription drugs and extends health care subsidies through the 2024 election, per Politico.
Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, said in a lengthy statement after the vote that the bill is nothing more than a vehicle for Democrats to push their partisan agenda.
“I fail to understand how this package reduces inflation. This bill will reduce economic output, add to the deficit, and cost tens of thousands of full-time jobs.”
Ahead of Friday’s vote, Moore said that he “adamantly” opposed the legislation, calling additional funding for the Internal Revenue Service…
