Greene County Democrat

Tag: Inflation Reduction Act

  • USDA issues 43,244 payments in the Discrimination Farmers Assistance Program (DFAP) under Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act

    By: John Zippert, Co-Publisher

    At press time on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced 43,244 farmers would receive payment for past discrimination by USDA farm credit agencies, under the $2.1 Billion allocated in Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act.

    74% of the 58,000 applications submitted were adjudicated to receive funding between $5,000 and $500,000. About half of the applicants, attempted to farm by seeking a USDA loan, but were turned down or discouraged from receiving and filling out a loan application. After they were turned down, they were unable to farm. These applicants will receive between $3,500 and $6,000, as a consolation payment for their discrimination.

    The other half of the applicants, who have or had a farming or ranching operation, are receiving between $10,000 and $500,000 of assistance, with an average of nearly $82,000. The approval letters and checks will be mailed this week and should arrive by August 6, 2024.

    The official Biden-Harris Administration press release on the 22007 process, is posted on the website 22007apply.gov, which provides more information on the evaluation process. After August 6, 2024, the award information will also be on this website.

    On the zoom call on Wednesday, Secretary Vilsack noted that $1.99 Billion of the funds in Section 22007 had been spent to make the awards.
    Awards were made in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and territories. The most applications submitted and approved came from Mississippi and Alabama.
    Other states of the South, including Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas were among the top ten states receiving approvals. The states of Oklahoma and California, rounded out the top ten states for participation in this program.

    Secretary Vilsack noted that these payments for past discrimination, prior to January 1, 2021, would be taxable events for the farmers receiving them. Federal and state income taxes will be owed on the discrimination payments provided.
    The Rural Coalition commended the Biden-Harris Administration for getting these decisions made and checks sent out, ahead of the timetable that they set for late August – early September.

    The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/LAF which was a cooperating organization, doing outreach and application assistance, said it was glad that the decisions had been made but reserved final judgement to see how many of its members were awarded payments and the size of those payments.

  • Newswire : Record number of people signed up for Obamacare during 2022

    Doctor talking to patient

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    President Joe Biden said he promised to lower costs for families and ensure that all Americans have access to quality affordable health care.
    On Tuesday, Dec. 27, the president proclaimed that he’d delivered on that promise.
A record number of people – nearly 11.5 million – signed up for insurance on HealthCare.gov – about 1.8 million more and an 18% increase over last year.
    With enrollment remaining open through Jan. 15, and not counting those who signed up for coverage through their state marketplaces, Biden said gains like those have helped to drive down the uninsured rate to eight percent, the lowest level in U.S. history.
    “In recent days, we received further proof that our efforts are delivering record results and bringing families the peace of mind that comes with health insurance,” the President stated.
    “Right now, four out of five people who sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act can find health care coverage for $10 a month or less. These lower rates were set to expire at the end of this year, but thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, we were able to extend them and save millions of Americans on Obamacare an average of $800 a year.”
    The Biden administration noted that, on Jan. 1, Americans will see the benefits of additional cost-saving measures because of the Inflation Reduction Act. That includes seniors realizing a month’s supply of insulin capped at $35, Medicare beneficiaries paying $0 out of pocket for recommended adult vaccines covered by their Part D plan, and prescription drug companies needing to pay Medicare a rebate if they try to raise their prices faster than inflation for drugs administered at a doctor’s office.
    “We’re not finished working to make health care a right, not a privilege,” Biden declared.
    The administration continues to encourage individuals to visit HealthCare.gov by Jan. 15 to take advantage of lower rates and sign up for health care for the coming year.

  • Newswire : Biden-⁠Harris Administration announces historic investment to electrify U.S. Postal Service fleet

    US Postal Service vehicles

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has announced an historic, $9.6 billion investment over the next five years to electrify its delivery fleet.
    
The USPS investment includes electrifying 75% of its new purpose-built Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDV) and a commitment to acquire 100% electric NGDVs starting in 2026.
    
With the announcement, federal officials said the USPS “demonstrates how it is leading by example for the Federal Government in achieving President Biden’s charge to electrify the U.S. Government’s 650,000 vehicles.”
    
The $9.6 billion investment – which includes $3 billion in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act – installs modern charging infrastructure at hundreds of USPS facilities, electrifies 66,000 delivery vehicles, “and modernizes mail delivery by creating a smarter network to more efficiently reach its 163 million delivery locations across the country and further strengthen the sustainability of this critical public service,” White House officials said.
    
Earlier this year, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act to help bring down everyday costs – including costs for energy. Administration officials said the Inflation Reduction Act’s once-in-a-generation investment in America’s infrastructure “delivers the most significant action ever to tackle the climate crisis and strengthen U.S. energy security, including $3 billion to modernize the USPS delivery fleet.”
    
The new announcement sustains “reliable mail service to Americans while modernizing the fleet, reducing operating costs, increasing clean air in our neighborhoods, creating jobs, and improving public health,” officials noted in a news release.
    
Biden’s ambitious goal for 50% of new vehicles sold in 2030 to be electric has accelerated investments and jumpstarted the EV market in America, officials said.
Since Biden took office, U.S. electric vehicle sales reportedly have tripled and are now higher than ever before.
    
One year ago, through the president’s Executive Order on Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability, the Biden-Harris Administration released the most ambitious sustainability plan ever, establishing a goal for 100% acquisition of zero emission light-duty vehicles by 2027 and medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by 2035.
    
Now, the USPS said it would exceed Biden’s requirement for each agency to electrify its federal fleet. Over the next five years, the Postal Service will purchase 45,000 specialized USPS NGDV electric vehicles and 21,000 commercial off-the-shelf electric vehicles.
    
“We commend the U.S. Postal Service,” John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President, said in a news release. “The USPS plan leverages the $3 billion provided by the Inflation Reduction Act to hit the target of 100% electric delivery vehicle purchases in 2026, sets the postal fleet on a course for electrification, significantly reduces vehicles miles traveled in the network, and places USPS at the forefront of the clean transportation revolution.”
    
The U.S. government operates the largest vehicle fleet in the world, and USPS is the largest vehicle fleet in the Federal government. Through the administration’s action, the White House said USPS sets the bar for the rest of the Federal government, and, importantly, the rest of the world.
    
In the plan, the USPS invests the full $3 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funds to increase ambition and pace in electrifying its fleet, including $1.3 billion for electric delivery vehicles and $1.7 billion for charging infrastructure.
    
Coupled with $6.6 billion in USPS funds, the overall $9.6 billion, 100,000-vehicle modernization plan results in 66,000 electric delivery vehicles and tens of thousands of charging stations through 2028, and a target of acquiring only electric delivery vehicles after 2026.
    
“The U.S. Postal Service plan sets the pace for other leading public and private sector fleets. It is clear that the future of transportation is electric – and that future is here,” said Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory.
    
“As electric mail trucks hit routes across the country, neighborhoods will see cleaner air, better health, and good-paying clean energy jobs.”
    
Moving packages from point A to point B in a way that’s cleaner, more cost-effective, and accelerating toward an electric vehicle future stamped “Made in America,” said the President’s National Climate Adviser Ali Zaidi.
    


  • Newswire: Senate passes sweeping climate-focused Inflation Reduction Act; VP Kamala Harris casts vote to break 50-50 tie

    VP Kamala Harris casts tie breaking vote

    Yahoo News

    After more than a year of infighting, President Joe Biden’s climate agenda has cleared a significant hurdle. On Sunday, Senate Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 in a 51-50 decision that went along party lines and saw Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote, reports The Washington Post.
    If passed by the House, the 755-page bill would authorize the single largest expenditure to combat climate change in the nation’s history. In all, the legislation calls for $370 billion in spending to reduce US greenhouse emissions by approximately 40 percent by the end of this decade.
    Among the climate change provisions most likely to affect consumers is a reworked federal EV tax credit. The Inflation Reduction Act would provide up to $7,500 in subsidies for electric SUVs, trucks and vans that cost less than $80,000 and cars under $55,000. It would also allow people to claim up to $4,000 when buying a used EV. In both cases, an income ceiling would prevent those who make more than the average American from taking advantage of the legislation.
    On top of EV subsidies, the $370 billion in investments set aside by the bill would incentivize the building of wind, solar and other renewable power sources. The act also calls for the creation of a $1.5 billion program that would pay companies that reduce their methane output.

    With Sunday’s vote, the Inflation Reduction Act now moves to the House, which will return from its summer recess on Friday. For much of 2021 and the first half of 2022, President Biden’s Build Back Better plan looked doomed to go nowhere due to opposition from Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. In late July, however, Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced they had come to a compromise.
    The act contains tax provisions which will have major companies, earning more than a billion dollars a year in profits, will pay a minimum tax of 15%. There is a 1% special tax on corporations who buy back their stock rather than invest in new business expansion. The Internal Revenue Service will gain additional staff to pursue taxpayers who are not paying their fair share of taxes.
    In exchange for Manchin’s support, the Inflation Reduction Act includes a provision that would see the federal government reinstate canceled oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Cook Inlet. While that concession upset environmentalists, it’s not expected to undo the good the Inflation Reduction Act is poised to do for the environment. According to one estimate by Princeton University’s Zero Lab, the bill could reduce US greenhouse emissions by about 6.3 billion tons through 2032.