COLUMBUS, Ind. — Rep. Greg Pence, R-Indiana, was one of four members of the House who didn’t cast votes on a health care and climate package that would lower prescription drug costs for seniors, make investments to curb carbon emissions and tax large companies, congressional records show.
The bill, called the Inflation Reduction Act, cleared the House in a 220-207 vote on Friday, with no Republican support and now heads to the White House for President Joe Biden’s signature. Rep. Jerry Carl, R-Alabama; Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Alabama; and Mike Gallagher, R-Wisconsin, were the other members who didn’t vote on the measure.
The estimated package would cap prescription drug costs at $2,000 out of pocket for seniors starting in 2025 and insulin at $35 per month starting next year, as well as help Americans pay for private health insurance and what Democrats are calling the most substantial investment in history to fight climate change, some $375 billion over the decade, The Associated Press reported.
The bill would raise around $740 billion in revenue over the decade, over a third from government savings from lower drug prices, according to wire reports. Almost half the money raised, $300 billion, will go toward paying down federal deficits.
It’s all paid for largely with new corporate taxes, including a 15% minimum tax on big corporations to ensure they don’t skip out on paying any taxes at all and levies on companies that repurchase their own stock and stronger IRS tax collections, according to the AP.
Though Democrats have labeled the measure the Inflation Reduction Act, nonpartisan analysts say it will have a barely perceptible impact on prices, according to wire reports.
Currently, it is unclear why Pence did not vote on the bill. Pence’s communications staff did not reply to requests for comments on why Pence did not cast a vote, what his views are on the bill and how he would have voted. The second-term congressman underwent a heart procedure in June.
It is also unclear why Pence did not vote remotely as many of his colleagues did.
About 160 House members cast votes via proxies on the Inflation Reduction Act, meaning that they designated someone to vote in their place because they couldn’t be there in person, congressional records show. Two House Republicans representing Indiana, Reps. Larry Bucshon and Jim Baird, voted against the bill via proxies.
Pence, for his part, has criticized proxy voting on multiple occasions, tweeting “it is time for us to end proxy voting” last year and “it is wrong to send a proxy who’s never even been to Indiana to vote in my place” in 2020.
Bucshon’s proxy for Friday’s vote was Rep. Jim Banks, R-Indiana.
Though it is unclear where Pence stands on the Inflation Reduction Act, his opponent in the November general election, Cinde Wirth, told The Republic that she would have voted in favor of the bill, praising provisions in the legislation that she said would lower health care costs for Hoosiers and investments in clean engery.
“There’s a significant population that will see their health care premiums stabilized and not increase, as well as lowering prescription prices for seniors, and that is enormous in looking at quality of life for people who are just average everyday working people and senior citizens,” Wirth said. “The other thing I really like about it is the large investment in climate and energy, setting up a clean energy manufacturing and supply chain within the United States and lowering emissions significantly.”
For the complete story, see Tuesday’s Republic.
