Governor Ron DeSantis has declined up to $350 million (£275 million) in financing from Joe Biden’s flagship climate legislation, infuriating Florida lawmakers.
The decision by Mr. DeSantis, who is running for president in 2024, may be devastating to Mr. Biden’s economic strategy.
Congress passed the president’s Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, which includes $783 billion in tax credits and funds to incentivize green energy initiatives to combat climate change.
Florida Residents Eligible for Energy Efficiency Incentives
Under the Act, Florida was qualified for around $350 million in energy efficiency incentives, including refunds that went directly to customers.
Mr DeSantis denied a grant proposed and authorized by the state’s Republican-controlled legislature for the program.
It would have provided $346 million to people of the state to help cover the upfront expenses of updating their homes, purchasing energy-efficient appliances such as heat pumps, and lowering their energy costs.
Mr. DeSantis also rejected $3 million in assistance to assist the state in combating pollution, as well as a program that would have paid to help low-income families obtain solar panels.
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DeSantis Blockade Biden’s Historic Legislation
Kathy Castor, a Democratic congressman from Florida’s 14th congressional district, accusing Mr. DeSantis of pursuing his own agenda as he pursues the presidency in 2024.
Mr. DeSantis’ action effectively shuts down Mr. Biden’s historic legislation in one of the country’s most populated states.
The $454 billion (£357 billion) plan was the president’s signature piece of legislation to combat climate change, alter tax rules, and subsidize healthcare.
Mr. Biden has been touring the country this summer to commemorate the legislation’s first anniversary and to highlight its effectiveness, believing that it could be essential to retaining Congress and the White House in the 2024 election.
However, Mr. DeSantis’ veto might have a knock-on effect, encouraging other Republican governors to weaponize the funding and effectively mitigate its impact.
Mr. DeSantis is now the only governor to oppose energy rebates, but other Republican leaders have denied smaller sums for other climate-fighting efforts.
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