Saturday, December 31, 2022

Team AOC - 2022 Highlights: gun control, taxing the rich, cap on insulin, and other legislative wins

 

2022 Year in Review





As 2022 winds down, we’re looking back on our incredible work together this year. Today, we’re excited to highlight some of our major legislative wins of 2022! 

This year, we introduced 33 pieces of legislation — 17 passed the House and 8 were signed into law. Here’s just a snapshot of some of the major wins: 

We passed the first major gun reform in 30 years

This new law will close dangerous loopholes, increase background checks, and crack down on interstate gun trafficking. 

Alexandria also secured a $400,000 grant to Jacobi’s Stand Up to Violence Program in our district, which has a proven record of reducing violence by 50 percent.

We made progress on taxing the rich

We implemented a new 15% minimum tax rate on the wealthiest corporations through the IRA.

We capped insulin at $35 per month under Medicare

As a result of the Inflation Reduction Act, the government will be able to negotiate lower prices on select prescription drugs for seniors on Medicare for the first time. 

The bill also caps out-of-pocket costs for medication for seniors to a maximum of $2,000 per year (down from the current $10,000+ a year for the costliest drugs) and restricts insulin costs to $35 a month for Medicare recipients.

We passed the largest-ever investment in fighting climate change

In August, Congress passed the largest ever investment in fighting climate change with $369 billion! This funding is expected to create 9 million new jobs in renewable energy and lower annual energy bills by $1,000 per household.

It’s estimated that this bill will reduce greenhouse gases by 40% by 2030 and it dedicates $60 billion for environmental justice in communities hardest hit by climate change and fossil fuels.

431,000 families received a total of $2.7 billion for funeral assistance

Alexandria fought for and won funeral assistance for families who’ve lost a loved one to COVID-19. Since that time, the program has distributed over $2.7 billion to over 431,000 families to date.


There are so many more wins that we couldn’t possibly cover them all in one email, but we hope seeing these here serves a reminder that change is possible — and it’s happening in big and small ways all the time.

Alexandria will continue to be a voice and an advocate for that change alongside all of you.

Thank you for reading and here’s to even more wins in 2023!

— Team AOC