(StraightNews.org) – Vice President Kamala Harris ignored questions about President Biden’s falling approval numbers among young voters in a CBS interview and focused instead on his climate change record. When he first entered the White House, the President’s approval among voters under 30 was as high as 70%, but a recent poll found this had fallen to 49%. Harris’s approval was even lower at 41%.
The Vice President said climate change is among the top concerns of young voters, and Biden’s record on this is well received. According to Pew Research, 45% of Americans believe President Biden is taking the right actions to combat climate change, but this rises to 64% for voters aged 18 to 29.
Biden’s key legislative move on climate is the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which some analysts have already called world-changing. The IRA offers tax breaks to companies that deploy cleaner technologies, and since the law was passed, firms have invested more than $270 billion in cleaner energy projects. John Podesta, who is charged with implementing the policies, said, “It’s a transformation of the economy.”
International critics call the legislation “protectionist.” The European Union initially objected to those elements but conceded that European countries had to catch up.
The significant elements of the legislation include a 15% corporate tax, reform of prescription drug pricing, tax credits for households to incentivize cleaner energy use, and tax credits aimed at reducing carbon emissions in business. It also boosted the IRS and extended subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.
The President’s record on climate is not unblemished, however, and he has faced considerable criticism for not doing enough. Climate activists were furious when he approved the controversial Willow Project that allowed gas drilling in Alaska. Oil producer ConocoPhillips said the project would produce 180,000 barrels of oil per day, and local officials said it would bring much-needed employment opportunities to the state. Sympathetic lawmakers in Washington argued it was better to produce domestic oil while changes were enacted.
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