The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Democrats’ landmark 2022 climate and prescription drug bill, has drawn almost nothing but criticism from the GOP. But in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, 18 House Republicans – among them Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) – are asking for the bill’s clean energy tax credits to be preserved even if the IRA is rolled back in the future.
The letter, which was first reported by Politico earlier today, starts by declaring that “the partisan process of passing the IRA created a deeply flawed bill” which led to bad outcomes across the country. Nevertheless, the signatories state that any Republican-led effort to repeal the bill’s provisions on clean energy investments would be counterproductive and harm the energy industry.
“Prematurely repealing energy tax credits, particularly those which were used to justify investments that already broke ground, would undermine private investments and stop development that is already ongoing,” the letter reads. “A full repeal would create a worst-case scenario where we would have spent billions of taxpayer dollars and received next to nothing in return.”
Since Democrats currently hold the White House and the Senate, no serious rollback of the IRA was much of a possibility during this congressional session. But if Republicans retake full control of Washington this November, then large-scale repeals of landmark Democratic policies could be a possibility.
If that comes to pass, swing-district lawmakers like Kean, who is in a tough re-election fight this November against Democrat Sue Altman, might become crucial swing votes. Of the 18 Republican signatories of the letter, a majority represent highly competitive districts – and they’re asking Johnson to be “partners” in any future policy negotiations.
“We appreciate your work to unite the conference on this important matter,” they wrote. “Please consider us partners in reforming our tax policies in a way that puts America first while ensuring certainty for industry and the energy sector.”