WASHINGTON (April 20, 2023) – Republican leaders in the US House of Representatives unveiled a proposal this week that would raise the nation’s debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion. Raising the debt ceiling would not authorize new spending; instead, this action would allow the US government to pay existing debts authorized by Congress. The proposed legislation would roll back significant initiatives that protect communities and wildlife from climate threats. A vote in the House is expected as soon as next week.
“This proposal would reverse widely supported progress to reduce carbon pollution, while also hurting our nation’s economy by upending job-creating clean energy tax incentives,” said Felice Stadler, Audubon’s vice president of government affairs. “This legislation’s focus on repealing the historic Inflation Reduction Act will put future generations of people and wildlife at risk from the worst effects of climate change. Science shows that encouraging investment in measures like clean energy and maintaining important ecological sites on public lands will help reduce emissions, protect biodiversity, and create a cleaner future for us all. We cannot allow these hard-won measures to be repealed.”
A 2019 report from the National Audubon Society found that two-thirds of North American bird species will be vulnerable to extinction if global temperatures are allowed to rise at the current rate. Adopting forward-looking clean energy policy is critical to reducing pollution, slowing the rise in global temperatures, and preserving the high-quality habitats that birds like the Wood Thrush and Scarlet Tanager need to survive.
You can read more here about how the Inflation Reduction Act will achieve widespread clean energy deployment as well as delivery other important benefits to birds, people, and the places we all need.
About Audubon
The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Audubon works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. A nonprofit conservation organization since 1905, Audubon believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Learn more at www.audubon.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety.
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