Earthjustice Condemns the “Default on America Act,” Urges Senate and White House to Reject It

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act, the House Republican plan for addressing the debt limit. Their plan raises the debt limit in exchange for repealing large parts of the Inflation Reduction Act, including billions of dollars in clean energy and environmental justice investments highly popular with the public. It includes Republicans’ recently passed energy package that would open large swaths of public lands to drilling and mining, greenlight dirty energy projects, and silence community voices from the project development process. Additionally, they included a provision that would make it significantly harder for agencies to make rules on major public protections, another giveaway to corporate polluters.

After the vote, Earthjustice Vice President of Policy and Legislation Raúl García issued the following statement:

“Once again, House Republicans have shown a complete inability to offer real solutions to the myriad issues facing our country. One thing is clear about the ’Default on America Act.’ Speaker McCarthy is willing to cave to the most extremist voices in his party to further their anti-clean energy and pro-polluter agenda. It’s not a serious proposal, but instead a litany of damaging policies aimed at sacrificing the health and safety of our communities and catering to polluting industries.

“Whether they like it or not, the transformative investments of the Inflation Reduction Act are here to stay. These investments are already supercharging our clean energy economy and bringing thousands of jobs and countless economic benefits to many of the states and congressional districts represented by members who opposed its passage. It’s shameful that McCarthy and House Republicans are willing to hold our economy hostage, force the federal government into default, and sacrifice the creation of countless jobs in their districts at the behest of their corporate donors.

“Addressing the debt limit is critically important for the health of our economy and all families in America. It should not be a catch-all for attaching unrelated and unpopular policy proposals that House Republicans want to jam through Congress. We urge the Senate and White House to recognize this proposal for the bad faith effort it is and pass a debt limit solution that protects our economy and allows the federal government to continue meeting its financial obligations.”