For Immediate Release: July 28, 2022
Contact: Audrey Carroll, [email protected], 202-601-7875

Catholic Lobby Responds to Inflation Reduction Act Announcement

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Joe Minchin (D-WV) announced they had reached an agreement on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. This legislation addresses climate change, tax reform, prescription drug reform, and health care costs through the fiscal year 2022 budget reconciliation process. In response to the historic announcement, NETWORK Executive Director, Mary J. Novak, issued the following statement:

“After spending the day advocating and praying for the budget reconciliation package with multi-faith partners, I was relieved to hear about the new agreement reached by Leader Schumer and Senator Manchin. Passing the tax reform, ACA premium tax credits, drug pricing, and climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act would be a significant step toward a better, more just future. However, leaving out Medicaid expansion for the 2.2 million people living in the coverage gap is a deeply disappointing moral failure. I urge Senator Manchin to recognize that healthcare is a human right and add Medicaid expansion back into this historic and transformative legislation.”

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NETWORK, a national Catholic Social Justice lobby, which educates, organizes, and lobbies for economic and social transformation, has a 50-year track record of lobbying for critical federal programs that support those at the margins and prioritize the common good.