Tell your Senators: Support a healthy planet and people experiencing poverty

What happens this month in Washington, DC may be critical for the future of the planet and the health of people experiencing poverty in the US. It’s time to contact your Senator and urge them to support the Inflation Reduction Act, while also urging them to add a provision to the bill that would close the Medicaid coverage gap.  Take Action As you may have heard last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) reached an agreement with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) on a climate, health care, and tax bill they have named the Inflation Reduction Act.  Most significantly, if passed by the Senate and House and signed into law by President Biden, this bill would represent the largest investment in fighting climate change ever enacted by Congress, putting the U.S. on a path to reduce carbon emissions to 40% below 2005 levels by 2030.1 As one of the world’s top greenhouse gas emitters, it’s long past time for the United States to be a leader on climate action, and this bill would mark a critical milestone in that effort. Economists also believe the bill will exert downward pressure on inflation by lowering health care costs and drug prices for families and asking some of the wealthiest Americans and corporations to pay their fair share in taxes.2 There is one critical provision missing from the bill as currently written—closing the Medicaid coverage gap for 2.2 million Americans, the majority of whom are people of color and all of whom fall below the federal poverty line.3  These Americans live in 12 states that have callously refused to expand their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and are among the most vulnerable in our society. We must demand that our Senators not leave them out of this deal, particularly since the deal will extend assistance for health insurance premiums to people with slightly higher incomes. This is a fundamental issue of racial and economic justice, as well as integral to our call as Christians to serve and defend all those on society’s margins. Senators need to hear from you today—tell them you want to see the Inflation Reduction Act passed without delay to ensure a livable future for our planet and to ease the burden of inflation on American families, while strongly urging them to amend the bill to close the Medicaid coverage gap. Take Action Thank you for taking action today! In faith, Adam Adam Russell Taylor President, Sojourners