AFL-CIO: The Inflation Reduction Act is a Game Changer for Working People

Statement from AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler on the one-year anniversary of the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA):

One year ago today, President Biden signed into law legislation that revolutionized our economy and put us on the path to a worker-centered clean energy future. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has already proven to be a massive victory for the clean energy transition, growing the U.S. workforce and enhancing our nation’s energy security. This transformative legislation that puts working people first has already had an outsized impact on manufacturing and construction investments across the country.

The IRA also made health care more affordable to millions of Americans, by reducing the cost of prescription medications and ensuring that our seniors would not have to choose between paying for their refills or rent. And this was accomplished by finally updating our broken tax system to require the most profitable corporations to pay their fair share.

This is only the beginning. The IRA already has created more than 170,600 new clean energy jobs, and by 2030, it will result in nearly 1.5 million more while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 40%. Now it’s time to finish the job. We’re committed to partnering with the Biden administration to ensure that every job created by these historic investments in America is a good union job that will transform our economy for generations to come.