Graham slams Democrats’ climate, tax, health bill: ‘This is gonna make everything worse’

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
Greg Nash
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) arrives to the Capitol for a series of votes including the CHIPS Act on Wednesday, July 27, 2022.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on Sunday that he will not support the Democrats’ landmark climate, tax, and health legislation, adding that the bill will “make everything worse.” 

During an joint appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” alongside fellow lawmaker Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Graham told moderator Dana Bash that he’s not going to vote for the Inflation Reduction Act, saying that it will not help address the ongoing inflation problem in the country. 

“This is gonna make everything worse. I voted for the bipartisan infrastructure bill, voted for gun legislation,” Graham told Bash. “I’m not gonna vote for this.” 

“And the bottom line, it’s not going to help inflation is gonna make everything worse,” Graham added. 

Graham also dismissed estimates that the package will reduce the deficit. 

“The truth is … the ObamaCare subsidies go away after three years. We all know they’re not going to go away. So if they stayed in place for 10 years, it would add $280 billion to the deficit,” Graham said. “So it’s a gimmick.” 

“This is gonna make everything worse and not one Republicans can vote for it.” 

Graham’s remarks came after a 51-50 vote in the Senate on Saturday to advance the legislation, with Vice President Harris breaking the deadlock. 

The proposed legislation would address climate change issues, lower the cost of prescription drugs and reform the tax code.

Tags CNN Congressional Budget Office Dana Bash Dana Bash Inflation Reduction Act Inflation Reduction Act Internal Revenue Service IRS Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham Richard Blumenthal Richard Blumenthal State of the Union

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