Editorial

Granholm Defends Inflation Bill By Explaining How Americans Can Spend More Money On Their Homes

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Kay Smythe News and Commentary Writer
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The Biden Administration’s energy secretary Jennifer Granholm was schooled by CNN’s “State of the Union” host Brianna Keilar, Sunday, after making a series of comments regarding the Inflation Reduction Act.

The comments came after Keilar noted that there are three studies that show the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act will have no major impact on inflation and many major items in the bill will not take effect until 2023 or later, a clip of which was shared on Twitter. “So what specifically will this bill do to lower costs for Americans right now?” Keiler asked Granholm.

“First of all, immediately, people will be able to lower their fuel costs in their homes,” before describing how families can only lower these costs if they can prove they have installed energy efficient windows and other appliances on their homes.

“That is right away. Then, on top of that of course, if citizens want to install solar panels on their roofs so that they can generate their own power, that’s another 30% tax credit,” Granholm continued, “and of course there are the tax credits that are at the dealership for the automotive sector for electric vehicles and if you install an electric vehicle charging station in your home, you can get a tax credit.”

It’s unclear whether Granholm could hear herself during the clip, as her comments were so beyond out of touch that it’s hard to believe she knowingly said them out loud. “Jennifer Granholm wants you to believe spending tens of thousands of dollars on “green” home improvements, solar panels and an EV in exchange for some tax credits will lower your cost of living today,” Daily Caller News Foundation managing editor Mike Bastasch shared on Twitter.

The average cost of an electric car hit $66,000 in July, according to Electrek, meaning that families would have to spend that money or a similar amount on other home improvements in order to receive a tax credit. Keiler was quick to pick up on the bizarre nature of Granholm’s comments, and explained to her that the people who can spend money on such things “aren’t the ones who are living paycheck-to-paycheck, and inflation is hitting the most.”

“Well actually, no, people who are able to qualify, for example, to weatherization, there was a massive increase, billions of dollars, for people who are low, moderate income to be able to weatherize their home and save money right away,” Granholm responded, noting a government program that part of the Infrastructure Bill. (RELATED: STUDY: A Few US Cities Are Experiencing The Most Inflation, And It’s Probably Not Where You Think)

The Weatherization Assistance Program only helps around 35,000 homes annually and saves families less than $400 a year, according to the Office of Energy Efficiency. Granholm’s statements mirror a fumbled response made by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on almost the exact same topic earlier in the day on ABC’s “This Week.”