Las Vegas City Wire

Steve Cortes, president of the League of American Workers (LAW) said that U.S. Rep. Susie Lee's (D-NV-3) vote for the “Inflation Reduction Act” has put America’s economic security at risk.

“Rep. Lee's vote for the so-called Inflation Reduction Act was a vote to outsource American jobs to China and put our national and economic security at risk,” Cortes told Toledo Reporter. “If we truly want an all-of-the-above American energy strategy, then it’s vital to produce that energy here at home.”

Lee, who voted to pass the IRA in the U.S. House on August 12, 2022, represents Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes the southern portion of Clark County, covering parts of Las Vegas, Henderson, and surrounding suburbs.

The IRA passed the House on a partisan vote of 220-207. It had previously passed the Senate on August 7, 2022, with then-Vice President Kamala Harris (D) casting the tie-breaking vote for passage. That enabled the bill’s passage on a  through the budget reconciliation process, and former President Joe Biden (D) signed the bill into law on August 16, 2022. 

The IRA “funneled US taxpayer money into direct aid to Chinese manufacturers” of electric vehicle batteries, Cortes wrote in a March 23 American Greatness op-ed.

“Right now, there are more than 15 Chinese battery projects underway in the U.S., largely led by Chinese battery giant CATL, which the U.S. Department of Defense blacklisted as a Chinese military operation,” wrote Cortes. “The most notable project is Ford’s agreement with CATL to co-produce batteries in Michigan.”

“Despite the clear risks to the United States, CATL convinces iconic American companies to partner up and assist China’s incursion into America’s battery production,” he wrote.

Cortes is a political advisor and commentator. He previously traded global currencies and interest rates for 25 years for large international hedge funds. He has been an on-air broadcaster for CNBC, Fox News, and CNN. 

In 2023 testimony before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services, Heritage Foundation policy analyst Preston Brashers, Ph.D., said the IRA was “fiscally irresponsible,” citing the bill’s provisions on “green energy” and electric vehicle tax credits.

“The IRA is much more fiscally irresponsible than it appeared on paper,” said Brashers. “It uses gimmicky and questionable pay-fors and expirations, and some of the provisions are proving much more costly than forecasters expected – especially the bevy of tax credits for green energy, electric vehicles, carbon sequestration, and other things ostensibly connected to the climate agenda.”

A White House fact sheet issued following the IRA enactment said the legislation would “make it more affordable for families to purchase energy-efficient appliances, make home repairs, and switch to clean energy, which will save them hundreds of dollars per year in energy costs.”

As of January 2025, however, U.S. energy prices increased by 2.0 percent over the previous 12 months, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Electricity prices rose by 3.8 percent, and gasoline prices increased by 1.4 percent over the same period.