President Biden and the Democrats are celebrating the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, a stripped down version of the Build Back Better agenda. The new bill will help reduce inflation, address climate change, and ease economic hardship —  a little, over time, and with conditions. But that’s still a big deal.

In the rollercoaster ride to this day when President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, it seemed all too possible that no law would reach the President’s desk. Members of the Coalition on Human Needs applaud the victory that the President’s signature represents: the unflagging efforts by the Administration and members of Congress to make progress because they recognized that failure would be measured in preventable sickness, hardship, and growing environmental threats. 

The Inflation Reduction Act provides extremely important help. It will reduce hardship, improve health, and start to protect our future. But we’ve got more to do, both to make sure the law fulfills its promises, and to take up the unfinished business that we owe ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren.

I learned this week about the passing of a remarkable man. Bill Collins died recently in a car accident at the age of 87. Bill was a popular former mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut. In his hometown, tributes have poured in celebrating Bill’s legacy of revitalizing the city’s downtown, professionalizing its civil service, and championing affordable housing over his four terms in office. But I got to know Bill because of the remarkable work he did after retiring from public service.