Opinion | Republicans should protect our economy and improve our lives

I am deeply concerned by the events reported in the April 27 front-page article “U.S. drifts toward cliff as debt ceiling bill passes House.” The debt ceiling must be raised, but this is the wrong approach. As a climate volunteer, I am particularly troubled by the efforts of many House Republicans to repeal the tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act that are designed to help us make a successful transition to clean energy. As with many other Americans, I need to replace my old gas furnace and plan to do it with a cleaner, more efficient heat pump. I can afford to make that change without the tax credit, but the people who need it most might not.

Reducing support for climate action is not an effective or responsible way of reducing federal spending. In 2022, the United States endured 18 disasters that cost more than $1 billion. Extreme weather events cost the United States $165 billion. If we do not take immediate and effective climate action, the costs will grow to unsupportable levels.

Also, the climate policies in the Inflation Reduction Act boost our economy. The United States saw $40 billion in clean-energy investment and more than 100,000 climate-friendly jobs. Republican lawmakers should note that much of that investment and job growth was in red states.

I hope some Republicans will recognize the need to protect our economy and improve the lives of their constituents.

Frances Stewart, Bethesda

The April 27 headline “U.S. drifts toward cliff as debt ceiling bill passes House” captured much of what is wrong in today’s legislative process. Imminent disaster lies ahead, and MAGA Republicans are blackmailing the Biden administration with extortionate demands to cut back on health and human services in as-yet-unspecified major ways.

President Biden is in a unique position to derail and destroy this ploy. Instead of just insisting that he won’t negotiate and insisting on a clean debt ceiling bill, he should simply state that the United States will not default on its debts, and therefore no debt ceiling bill is necessary. He should emphasize that it’s his constitutional obligation to pay legitimate U.S. debts, and he should authorize their payment.

If the Founding Fathers had intended to allow default, they would not have insisted that prior debts be recognized and paid.

If Mr. Biden does pay all debts, what can the House do? I suppose it could try to impeach him. The Senate would never allow that to succeed. It would set a firm precedent that the United States will honor its legitimate commitments and signal to the economic world that the tug of war between recalcitrant Republicans and their Democratic colleagues is over.

Robert F. Tropp, Silver Spring

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