A key campaign promise by Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) could have devastating consequences for the state of Ohio, including the community where Vance grew up, according to a detailed analysis by The New York Times.
Vance, alongside former President Donald Trump, has repeatedly vowed to dismantle the IRA, a landmark piece of legislation signed by President Joe Biden. The law aims to reform energy production, close gaps in health care coverage, invest in climate action, and reduce the federal deficit. However, the benefits of the IRA are already being felt in Ohio, with billions of dollars in new investments and job creation across the state.
Since the signing of the IRA, Ohio has attracted more than $7 billion in clean energy investments, placing it among the top states benefiting from the law, according to data from the environmental nonprofit E2. These investments have led to significant job creation and development, particularly in industries related to clean energy and manufacturing.
One notable example is the Cleveland-Cliffs steel manufacturing facility located in Middletown, the very town where Vance grew up and which he famously chronicled in his memoir Hillbilly Elegy. The plant was awarded a grant of up to $500 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to upgrade its operations and use cleaner fuels. This project is expected to create around 170 permanent jobs and up to 1,200 temporary union construction jobs, providing a significant economic boost to the area.
Middletown’s acting city manager praised these investments as “outstanding” and emphasized that the project will also free up local resources to improve infrastructure, such as roads and water systems. This new economic activity could be transformational for the community, which has long struggled with economic decline.
Despite these clear benefits, Vance continues to push for the repeal of the IRA. Democratic strategist Jesse Lee criticized this stance, stating that Vance “wants to devastate his hometown,” given the potential damage that repealing the IRA would cause to local and state economies.
In addition to the economic benefits from clean energy investments, the IRA also includes a highly popular provision allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, significantly lowering costs for elderly Americans and saving money for the federal government. Repealing the act would eliminate these savings, a move that could face major political backlash. told by MSN.
As Trump and Vance continue to push for the repeal of the IRA, they are increasingly at odds with the tangible benefits that Ohio and other states are experiencing from the law. Their campaign pledge could ultimately harm the very people they claim to represent, particularly in Vance’s hometown, where economic revitalization from the act is already underway.
