Democrats Pass Inflation Reduction Act, Massive Climate Spending Sparks Fiscal and Regulatory Debate

In August 2022, Congressional Democrats in Washington narrowly passed President Joe Biden’s signature legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), using the budget reconciliation process. Despite its name, the bill was fundamentally a massive package of tax, climate change, and healthcare spending, including substantial subsidies for renewable energy, expanded Medicare coverage, and the largest historical funding boost for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), aimed at enhancing tax enforcement.

Conservatives vehemently criticized the Act, arguing that its use of billions in tax credits and targeted subsidies amounted to artificial intervention in the energy market and was a de facto "Green New Deal." Of particular concern to Charlie Kirk and other conservatives was the massive funding for the IRS, viewed as a dangerous overreach of government power that could lead to excessive regulation and politically motivated audits targeting ordinary taxpayers and small businesses.