DELAWARE, August 12 - Dear Friend,

Last weekend, my colleagues and I let out a collective sigh of relief while fighting back tears of joy. Following months negotiations, we passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 through the Senate — finally breaking the log jam on transformational climate, clean energy, health care, and tax legislation. From that moment on, I’ve felt a renewed sense hope for the future of the First State and our planet.

For years, I have highlighted the worsening heat waves, floods, and other extreme weather events taking place, and urged my colleagues to work with me on passing legislation to address climate change. I’m pleased to say that the Inflation Reduction Act is the answer to my prayers. This legislation will allow us to tap into the potential of American clean energy, drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, and lower energy costs for families, while also creating millions of good-paying jobs across the country. It’s proof that we can do good and do well at the same time.

As Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, I am especially proud of the significant climate and clean air investments that I worked on as part of this historic legislation. That includes my program to reduce excess emissions from methane—a greenhouse gas that’s over 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere—along with a first-ever block grant to help lift up communities that struggle with legacy pollution.

The Inflation Reduction Act also proves that we don’t have to choose between taking care of our planet or bettering the lives of the American people: we can do both at the same time. This legislation will lower costs, fight inflation, and create a fairer economy. That means finally lowering drug prices that overburden our nation’s seniors with fixed incomes, keeping health insurance affordable for millions, and ensuring that the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share in taxes. It does all these things, while also lowering our nation’s deficit.

I proudly helped author many of these provisions in the legislation. That includes those that lower the cost of prescription drugs and those that help rebuild the IRS to provide everyday Americans with better taxpayer services.

The Inflation Reduction Act will directly benefit Delaware. In addition to reducing air pollution, this legislation will also help protect our low-lying state from the rising sea levels that accompany climate change. This legislation will save Delaware families an average of $1,000 annually on health insurance purchased through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. It will also cap at $2,000 per year the cost that our seniors enrolled in the Medicare Part D drug program pay for prescription drugs.

With the House of Representatives passing the Inflation Reduction Act today, I am overjoyed to see this landmark legislation move one step closer to becoming law. The bill now heads to President’s Biden’s desk where it will soon become the law of the land. The best is yet to come, friends.

Here’s to a brighter future for all,

Tom Carper