DENVER — On Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats narrowly passed the Inflation Reduction Act on a party-line vote of 220 to 207. Speaker Pelosi lauded the legislative win, stating, “today is really a glorious day for us, […] this legislation is historic, it’s transformative and it is really a cause for celebration.”
The swift passage of this reconciliation package in the House follows the Senate’s approval of the legislation on Sunday in a 51-50 vote, with Vice President Harris casting the tie-breaking vote.
Following passage of the bill, the President tweeted that “today, the American people won. Special interests lost.” He also indicated that he would sign the legislation into law next week, followed by a celebratory event at the White House on September 6th.
Voices of Health Care Action Founder and Affordable Care Act Advocate Laura Packard issued the following statement:
“House Democrats acted quickly to pass the Inflation Reduction Act on the heels of the Senate’s Sunday vote. But once again, Republicans in Congress voted against health care for millions of Americans. As I’ve said before, Republicans are shameless in their contempt for Americans’ health care coverage. Ensuring affordable health care coverage, enabling Medicare to negotiate drug pricing and confronting climate change head-on should be the priority for all elected officials, no matter their party.
Obstructionist Republicans must face the consequences of their ‘no’ votes this November. Voters must send a clear message that elected officials must represent the interests of the American people, not the wealthy individuals and powerful corporations that fund their campaigns.
President Biden must sign this legislation as soon as possible. Once he signs this bill into law, we can begin focusing on the midterm elections and educating the American people on this historic win. Voters must know which of their Representatives care about the health, lives and livelihoods of the American people, and which do not.”
Laura Packard is the founder of Voices of Health Care Action, executive director of Health Care Voter, and a stage-4 cancer survivor. The Affordable Care Act saved her life. She is a co-host of Care Talk, a call-in health care show on act.tv to answer America’s health insurance questions about the ACA, Medicare and Medicaid (airing Mondays at 4:30pm ET). If you’d like to connect with Laura about the ACA, the cost of health care, or her 2023 plans, please reach out to Charlotte Bennett at charlotte.bennett@firesidecampaigns.com.
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