I hope you are enjoying the official start to summer! As the days continue to heat up, you may be considering home improvements and appliances that can help keep your home cooler and save money on energy costs. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), homeowners can save up to $1,200 annually on improvements like insulation, air sealing, energy efficient windows and doors, and up to $2,000 for a heat pump. That’s a combined maximum savings of $3,200, in addition to the lifetime savings from lower energy costs. Better insulation and air sealing can also help protect you from wildfire smoke.
The Department of Energy has a great video series that introduces the various appliances and technologies covered under the IRA, including weatherization and insulation and heat pumps. You can also view a recording of a webinar I hosted with representatives from the IRS and Portland’s Community Energy Project on IRA incentives -- you can use the time stamps in the video description to skip to specific topics.
It's also worth looking at resources from local organizations like Energy Trust of Oregon and Community Energy Project (Portland-area).
Responding to the Supreme Court’s Latest Rulings
The Supreme Court’s decision to strike down President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan is deeply disappointing for the more than 490,000 Oregonians who would have received forgiveness, most of whom were low-income students. Loan forgiveness, which was part of pandemic relief, would have put more than 40 million people across the country on a path to financial stability while boosting the economy. The facts speak for themselves: the benefits of President Biden’s student debt forgiveness would have largely been felt by low-income borrowers, borrowers making less than $75,000 per year, and borrowers who fell behind on their payments and needed some support to get back on track.
The economic security and peace of mind of these borrowers is now even more uncertain. I will continue working to reduce the cost of college and make student loan repayment more manageable, and I strongly urge the Biden Administration and my colleagues in Congress to explore all options to provide hard-working Oregonians and Americans relief from the crushing burden of student loan debt.
You can read my statement on the affirmative action ruling here, and the web design ruling here. |