Grand Canyon Times

A recent poll found that 76% of Arizona voters were not aware that, under President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), money was diverted from Medicare savings to subsidize electric vehicles and other green energy projects. The poll further found that, by an 80–10 percent margin, Arizona voters opposed using Medicare funds for this purpose.

According to a report from Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), under the IRA, roughly $280 billion in savings from Medicare's prescription drug provisions went to fund green energy programs and tax credits. These provisions included a $7,500 tax credit for luxury EVs, a $4,000 credit for pre-owned EVs, and an annual $1,200 credit for "energy-efficient" doors and windows, among others.

The report from ATR notes that the primary source of revenue for the IRA was Medicare savings, and instead of being used to help lower the costs of prescription drugs for enrollees, the funding was instead diverted to green energy subsidies.

In a column in the Wall Street Journal, Mark Merritt, an expert in the healthcare industry, noted that Medicare will keep only about 15% of overall savings for some relatively inexpensive benefits, while Medicare's costs are expected to expand considerably from costing about $1 trillion this year to a projected $1.8 trillion in 2031.

Merritt further noted that the typical buyer of a Tesla EV is half the age of a Medicare enrollee and makes about $150,000 per year, while enrollees earn less than $30,000 per year. Additionally, while the prospective buyer of a Tesla could enjoy up to $7500 in subsidies under the IRA, Medicare enrollees typically spend almost that amount, or about $6,500 per year, on out-of-pocket health costs alone.

Earlier this year, on the anniversary of the bill's passage, the White House celebrated "President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act" for "driving historic climate action" and highlighted the law's impact on helping the United States meet its climate goals. The White House touted the bill as the "largest investment in clean energy and climate action ever," appearing to frame the bill as primarily focused on the environment and climate. The bill was signed into law in August of 2022.

According to Washington Examiner, at a fundraiser earlier this year, President Biden expressed his apparent regret at the name given to the IRA, stating, "I wish I hadn't called it that because it has less to do with reducing inflation than it does dealing with providing for alternatives that generate economic growth."

The poll, which was conducted by North Star Opinion Research for the League of American Workers, also found that Arizona voters say the country is on the wrong track by a 77–17 percent margin. The poll further found that 42 percent of Arizonans cite "economic issues like jobs and inflation" among their top two most important issues. Respondents disapproved of Biden's handling of the economy by a 60–38 percent margin.

A recent report from the Arizona Common Sense Institute showed that Arizonans are feeling the impacts of inflation. A report found that a typical Arizona family spends "a combined $23,768 more on food, housing, transportation, medical care, and other goods and services" than they did in 2020 before Biden took office.

The report further found that it currently costs roughly $2,700 more per year to purchase these goods for the average Arizona family than it did in August of 2022 when the IRA was signed into law. The report notes that even if the rate of inflation were to slow it would take "a sustained period of deflation" to restore historical price levels.

According to FiveThirtyEight, Arizona's Senators have been very supportive of the Biden Administration. Through the 117th Congress from 2021-2023, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) voted with Biden 95.5% time while Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) voted with Biden 93.9% time.

The FiveThirtyEight report also found Reps Grijalva, Gallego and Stanton reportedly voted with Biden 100% time during that period.