August 31, 2022

Tackling Inflation

Dear Friends,  

As I’ve traveled throughout our district during the last year, I’ve heard the same concern over and over – prices are too high. From gas prices to groceries to utility costs, Rhode Island families are feeling the sting of inflation.

In response, I joined my fellow Democrats to pass H.R. 5376, the Inflation Reduction Act, a historic piece of legislation that will lower the cost of energy and health care for working families, combat the climate crisis, and reduce the federal deficit by over $300 billion.

For the first time, Medicare will be allowed to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs, lowering the cost of health care for millions of seniors. Medicare beneficiaries will be eligible for free vaccines, and they will pay no more than $35 per month for insulin. We're also extending Affordable Care Act subsidies for the next three years, which will save the average family of four with a household income of $75,000 nearly $3,000 per year in health care costs.

This legislation will also invest $369 billion to tackle the climate crisis and lower energy costs by supporting the transition to a clean energy economy and increasing our energy independence. This legislation puts the United States on track to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030.  
The Inflation Reduction Act also includes $300 billion in deficit reduction to fight inflation, which is paid for by cracking down on wealthy tax evaders, closing tax loopholes, and making the largest corporations in America pay their fair share of taxes.

Perhaps most importantly, this legislation contains no new taxes on any families making under $400,000 per year.

We are making progress on reining in the costly effects of inflation, but we still have much more work to do. I was proud to support this legislation, which will lower costs, create new jobs, protect our environment, reduce the deficit, and give Rhode Island families some much-needed breathing room.  

To keep up with my work in Washington and in our district, please visit website and follow me on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. 

Sincerely,

RIPTA Goes Green Thanks to funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, RIPTA is upgrading its fleet! The first of more than a dozen new, electric buses have arrived in our state to replace the older, diesel buses that run along the popular R-Line in Cranston, Providence, and Pawtucket, as well as the routes throughout Aquidneck Island.   When I voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I told Rhode Islanders that these investments were going to make public transit safer, more reliable, and environmentally friendly. Today, we are delivering on that promise. I’m proud that federal dollars are hard at work to help the Ocean State transition away from dirty, fossil fuels and toward and cleaner, greener future for all RIPTA riders.

Toxin Exposure  After years of advocacy by veterans and their loved ones, Congress passed the bipartisan PACT Act, a piece of legislation that is the most significant expansion of benefits and services for toxic exposed veterans in over 30 years. For too long, the federal government failed to acknowledge that illnesses like asthma, cancer, and infertility were a cost of war linked to toxin exposure. But now, we are righting that wrong.  I was proud to vote for the PACT Act, because I believe that we have a sacred obligation to care for our servicemembers – and their families – when they return home from war.