West Chester, Pennsylvania – Today, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Inflation Reduction Act by a vote of 220-207:

“I’ve learned during my time in Congress that very little here is easy and passing this legislation was no different,” said Houlahan. “I was proud to vote for what will be both the largest deficit reduction measure in over a decade and an historic investment in our fight to mitigate climate change and the rise of extreme weather events.”

Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said, “The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget commends Representative Houlahan for backing the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the largest deficit reduction bill in more than a decade. The bill will also aide Pennsylvanians by moving in the right direction on inflation. We thank Representative Houlahan for supporting this historic piece of legislation.”

The Inflation Reduction Act:

·      Gets the U.S. back on track to reduce carbon emissions by 40% by 2030 by investing in clean energy production here at home

·      Lowers energy costs for families by providing rebates and tax credits to make homes and vehicles more energy efficient  

·      Helps seniors by enabling Medicare to negotiate prices with drug companies, capping annual out-of-pocket costs at $2,000, and caps the price of insulin at $35 per month for Medicare recipients.

·      Doesn’t raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 a year while ensuring that America’s largest and most profitable corporations, those making over $1 billion annually, pay something on that income by implementing a 15% minimum corporate tax.

·      Makes overdue investments in the IRS to modernize its outdated systems and hire more staff

“It has been incredibly frustrating, to say the least, working with the IRS over the last few years to help members of our community,” said Houlahan. “By far, the largest volume of casework my office handles is IRA cases. People can’t get answers about their relayed refund, or even an acknowledgement that their return was received. In too many cases, the IRS is taking so long to process a tax return that refunds are being paid with interest. The delay is an unnecessary hardship for many and the interest payments are an inefficient use of taxpayer dollars.”

Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, an engineer, a serial entrepreneur, an educator and a nonprofit leader. She represents Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Small Business Committee. She is the recipient of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award which “recognizes members who demonstrate the bipartisan leadership and constructive governing necessary to move our country forward.”

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