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MADISON, WI – U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02) joined Yasmin Vossoughian on MSNBC this afternoon to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act. This bill, passed by the Senate today, is expected to pass in the House when Members reconvene this Friday. |
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“This is a big deal. This is really much of what we tried to get done last fall with the Build Back Better agenda. This is really focused on trying to reduce costs for the American people. This is putting people over politics and we’re watching the Republicans play politics in the Senate. They voted to help strip a part that doesn’t allow us to cap insulin for the American people. But this bill will reduce costs for people – their energy costs, their healthcare costs – as well as address things like climate change and other really important matters. We’re very excited to have the bill up to get it done on Friday.” “The most direct impact will be people saving money. We’ve got global inflation and at least people in the United States will start to be able to save some money on things, like energy costs and health care. But the provision to allow us to be able to negotiate for prescription drugs through Medicare is a huge savings in capping how much out-of-pocket seniors are going to pay will have a real immediate effect on a lot of seniors, and it’s something we’ve tried to get done for a long time and we’re glad it’s in here. But also climate change. Finally, we’re looking at doing major efforts that not only are going to create jobs, but reduce our emissions by 40% by 2030. That’s a huge deal. There is a lot of good in this bill for virtually everyone. And it’s really being paid for by the wealthiest in this country, companies who found ways to avoid paying taxes, people who have interesting ways that they pay taxes, which is way less than most of my constituents. This is an important piece of legislation and Republicans who voted against this to help stem the effects of inflation are really going to have something to answer for back home.” “The fact that we can now show that we’re going to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, especially for seniors on Medicare. The fact that we can reduce people’s energy costs… Those are all things that people will feel very quickly. Those are real benefits for the average person who’s just trying to get by.” “My Senator, Ron Johnson, voted for Big Pharma over his constituents, like many Republicans did. It was almost 100 years ago that insulin was first patented, and it was done and sold for $1 to the each of the three people who invented it because they wanted to have it out there for the American people to have. And here we are almost 100 years later, paying exorbitant fees for something that a lot of people have to have to survive. It was the right thing to try to cap it. Unfortunately, the vast majority Republicans, including Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin, decided to side with Big Pharma rather than their constituents.” |
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