How Dems are selling the IRA at home
DOUBLING DOWN ON IRA: August in an election year is a chance for lawmakers to be back in their districts selling their legislative wins to constituents. For many Democrats, that has meant rejuvenating their messaging on the Inflation Reduction Act, which turned two on Friday.
Polls have shown that many voters aren’t aware of the law — and don’t connect the jobs and investments it’s creating to Democrats or the Biden administration.
“The Inflation Reduction Act is something that we can’t talk enough about,” said Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), who has been leading efforts to sell the law to voters as co-chair of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition.
During the August recess, Democratic lawmakers have been holding a range of events at home to tout the legislation, from the typical ribbon-cuttings to more creative outings like a trip to the zoo. SEEC has sought to highlight efforts to preserve biodiversity and promote conservation in its IRA campaign given the law’s support for such efforts.
The coalition and House Natural Resources Democrats have also put together toolkits and maps of the IRA’s impact to help their members sell the law.
“We are connecting the dots for them. Republicans are trying to erase all of the dots and make us forget,” Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), a member of the Natural Resources Committee, told ME. “But you cannot forget what you see every day, and you want a party that is also going to see what you see and work to make it better.”
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) said Democrats have done a “terrible job on messaging the IRA.”
“I think that was one of the biggest problems Joe Biden was facing,” Dingell told ME. “We’ve got to do a better job at telling why those dollars are coming in.”
Dingell said voters connect some aspects of the IRA, such as caps on the price of insulin, to the Biden administration, but a lack of aggressive messaging has allowed Republicans and local officials to take credit for the energy and infrastructure wins in the law.
Despite calls from some Democrats, Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t mention climate in her major economic policy speech on Friday. Her campaign has hinted at more policy rollouts in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, Republicans — none of whom voted for the IRA — blame the law for driving up inflation and sending taxpayer dollars to China.
Democrats say they are trying to turn those arguments on their head by pointing to the impacts in their districts. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, who represents a frontline district in Illinois, told ME she talks to constituents about the jobs from the new Double Black Diamond Solar project in the area, as well as boosts to climate-smart agriculture and sustainable aviation fuel that benefit the farming-heavy region.
“It’s helping us to be more energy independent. And the more energy we’re able to put on our grid, then the better we’re able to combat energy costs,” Budzinski said, adding that she sees the law as an example of the “all-of-the-above” energy approach embraced by Republicans.
Democratic lawmakers are hoping that their convention, which starts today in Chicago, can convey their climate wins to a broader audience.
“I hope that the DNC shows everyone what has been able to be accomplished as a result of the IRA,” Kamlager-Dove said. “I hope they remind everyone that it was the Democrats who fought to get those passed … versus Republicans who work tooth and nail to fight it and then show up for the ribbon cutting.”