Senator Brian Schatz:
I feel like the media is having a hard time metabolizing the fact that this congress has been historically productive. And acknowledging the size of these accomplishments, and the degree of difficultly, – it’s just hard to do accurately without sounding a bit left leaning.
Like, Postal Reform was such a standing, seemingly unsolvable issue for every congress for a decade it seemed not doable. Done.
We all know the difficulty of passing an infrastructure bill, which while popular and necessary, proved elusive for W and Obama and Trump. Done.
The taking care of veterans who have had toxic exposure, especially burn pits, was also something being pushed for many years with no success. Done.
Violence Against Women Act reauthorization with new provisions for Indian Country. Biggest investment in native communities ever. Done.
We all now know what’s in IRA, and CHIPS, but when you add all of this up, it’s not just a lot of bills. Each one of these was thorny, complicated, difficulty, and ambitious.
Originally tweeted by Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) on August 16, 2022.
In case you don’t know what’s in the IRA and CHIPS, here it is:
[T]he Inflation Reduction Act contains historic provisions to tackle climate change and takes steps toward fulfilling a longtime Democratic policy goal: letting Medicare negotiate the prices of some prescription drugs. Together with the infrastructure package Democrats passed in November, the IRA marks the achievement of a significant portion of Biden’s agenda.
While it’s unlikely to noticeably reduce inflation, at least in the short term, the legislation will have concrete effects: It could affect what kind of car you buy and how you heat your home. It will prevent big price increases this year for some people who purchase individual health insurance. And if you aren’t paying your taxes, there’s a better chance that the IRS will find out.
CHIPS:
Congress has passed a bill that will invest more than $200 billion over the next five years to help the US regain a leading position in semiconductor chip manufacturing.
With bipartisan support, the CHIPS and Science Act was passed by lawmakers in late July, and President Joe Biden signed the bill into law Tuesday.
Once a leader in semiconductor chip manufacturing, the US has lost ground as other countries like China ramped up production, forcing many American manufacturers to import chips — which are essential to the production of cars, smartphones and medical equipment.
The new funding is intended to help companies bring chip manufacturing back to the US and, as a result, help lower costs and prevent supply chain disruptions. The current global chip shortage has limited production of new vehicles, for example, leaving Americans facing stubbornly high car prices.
I am actually fairly shocked that they actually achieved all this under these difficult circumstances. I’m not shocked that the media is giving them virtually no credit for it or that Biden’s approval numbers are so bad. This stuff is rarely rewarded by the public because it sounds very abstract and the Democratic party is not very good at taking credit. (Contrast that with Trump who has managed to convince at least half the country that his scandal-ridden term was the most successful in history.) The hangover from the pandemic is just starting to lift.
What will reward Democrats at the polls is more likely to be the more blatantly political stuff like Donald Trump being a criminal and the right wing Supreme Court turning the country back into the dark ages. Nonetheless, it’s important for Democrats to deliver on their promises because the country desperately needs these things. I’m impressed.