What was once inflation reduction…

You can’t help but notice that the absurdly named Inflation Reduction Act has been reborn in the press as a health care and climate bill. Performing its usual public relations work for Minnesota’s DFL, the Star Tribune celebrates the faceless Senator Tina Smith. Washington correspondent Hunter Woodall leads his story on the bill this way:

After a series of setbacks over the last year, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith’s work on passing major climate legislation is culminating with an estimated $740 billion package that also focuses on health care and taxes.

Smith said in an interview that she has no doubt when she looks back on her time in Washington that she’ll see the legislation as “one of the most important things that I had a chance to work on.”

The bill is a far cry from the roughly $3.5 trillion piece of legislation pitched last year. The Senate Democrats’ deciding swing vote dismissed that package, even as its price tag was cut, leaving the party to scramble for a compromise.

It was good of Woodall to mention the word “taxes” (without more). However, students of ancient history may wonder whatever happened to “inflation reduction.” The word “inflation” appears only in a quote from a statement by GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. It’s almost funny.

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