In general, coverage of the Inflation Reduction Act has been sparse on corporate broadcast news – in 2023, it was mentioned in only 6 climate segments – and disproportionate across cable news networks. Yet it’s a driving force for job creation through new clean energy projects and manufacturing across the country, and millions of families are benefiting from tax credits in the law that lower their energy bills.

The lack of coverage has likely contributed to the fact that poll after poll has suggested that most Americans have heard little or nothing about the Inflation Reduction Act, and few know about the climate provisions within the legislation.

Therefore the specific story of how the IRA has benefited Republican districts, which has been touted by some political press and legacy media, is even lesser known.

According to Climate Power, the IRA has created nearly 200,000 jobs across 160 Republican districts. Four out of five of the states with the most new, next-generation energy projects made possible by the IRA are red or swing states, including Texas, Michigan, Georgia, and South Carolina.

The benefits could be why on August 6, more than a dozen House Republican lawmakers wrote to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) asking him not to get rid of the clean energy tax credits laid out in the IRA should conservatives maintain or expand their majority in the House. (Both the Trump campaign and Project 2025 call for dismantling the IRA.)

CBS covers key context about the little known Inflation Reduction Act

The CBS segment, reported by David Schechter, focused on the Georgia district represented by Republican Rep. Buddy Carter, who voted against the IRA. As Schechter reported, “Carter's district is gaining 4,500 new green jobs plus $3.5 billion in new investments like EV battery and component factories.”

The segment also made clear that the Georgia district is not unique in benefiting from the IRA despite opposition by representatives, noting that “two-thirds of all IRA projects are going to GOP-held congressional districts.”

In addition, the segment offered some other key context, including:

• “The IRA, passed by the Biden administration, is infusing $370 billion to support the renewable energy transition.”
• “Seventy percent of Americans say global warming will hurt future generations, and 62% say Congress should do more about the problem.”
• Republicans — a party associated with climate denial — are disconnected from what the public they represent wants. As CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell framed the segment: “This week in New York City, politicians, business leaders, and scientists from all over the globe are meeting to discuss climate change. This conference unfolds against the backdrop of a clear disconnect. Polls show the public wants Congress to do more about climate change, but many elected officials vote against ideas to address the problem.”

Schechter concluded, “In Congressman Carter’s district, 53% of people worry about climate change. It's a place where they are exposed to the threats of sea level rise and extreme storms like Hurricane Debbie that folks are still cleaning up from. But Carter votes against environmental issues 96% of the time.”