7 Things: Inflation Reduction Act not being received warmly, NAACP wants GOP official fired over Facebook post and more …

7. Representatives advocating for rent pauses had no issue collecting

• During the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) were both congresswomen who advocated for pausing rent payments, but they both continued collecting rent payments from tenants during this time.
• According to disclosure forms, Tlaib brought in about $100,000 from a rental property throughout 2020 and 2021, while Pressley brought in about $117,500 from four properties combined during the pandemic.

6. Carl is cosponsoring new election reform legislation

• In an effort to strengthen elections across the country, U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) has cosponsored the “American Confidence in Elections Act.” The legislation is meant to address issues found in the 2020 presidential election.
• Carl stated, “There’s no doubt the 2020 elections had issues, which is why the ACE Act is critical to restoring our election integrity by providing states with important tools to help with the delivery of ballots, verification of signatures, using voter ID, giving observers access to the process, updating voter lists, and conducting post-election audits.”

5. Ivey has responded to Newsom’s criticism

• Gov. Kay Ivey has responded to criticism from California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) over Alabama spending COVID-19 relief money on “super-sized prisons” rather than education.
• Ivey countered Newsom, saying, “[F]olks are making their choice, leaving California in droves and calling ‘red states’ like Alabama home. Down here, we’re focused on public safety. And if we’re talking covid relief, we’ve invested billions in our students. Common sense – that’s the Alabama way.”

4. Alcohol sales at Bryant-Denny Stadium

• After much debate and concern about over-indulgence and a changed gameday experience, Alabama football fans and visitors will be able to purchase alcohol in the stadium until the end of the 3rd quarter on game days. The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board gave approval to an alcohol license for Bryant-Denny Stadium.
• Not everyone is happy about this decision. Tuscaloosa resident David Parr said he isn’t going to the games this year because of the approval and inexperienced drinkers, “I did not buy my tickets this year. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to be watching from my TV at home, but I just feel that strongly about it.”

3. CDC is conducting an overhaul

• It’s been announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Dr. Rochelle Walensky that the agency will be changing some of its procedures in an attempt to be more effective due to errors recognized throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the major errors was changing the policy based on political pressure and not science.
• Walensky said, “My goal is a new, public health action-oriented culture at CDC that emphasizes accountability, collaboration, communication, and timeliness.” Walensky also said, “I feel like it’s my responsibility to lead this agency to a better place after a really challenging three years.”

2. Lawrence County GOP apologizes, NAACP wants chair fired

• Recently, the Lawrence County Republican Party used a picture on Facebook of a GOP elephant that included three Ku Klux Klan hoods. Since the use of the image, chairman Shanon Terry has apologized for the image by saying, “A Google search picture of a GOP elephant was used and later found to have hidden images that do not represent the views of beliefs of the Lawrence County Republican Party.”
• The Lawrence County NAACP has scheduled a press conference for Friday, where they’re expected to call for Terry’s resignation over the use of the image. Earlier this week, House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville) said, “Shame on the Lawrence County Republican Party for this disgusting image.”

1. People don’t believe the Inflation Reduction Act will act to reduce inflation

• The recently signed Inflation Reduction Act was originally sold as a measure to reduce inflation. Now that it has been passed, the legislation’s core players seem to acknowledge that isn’t going to happen. Replacing the talk on inflation is talk of $369 billion of spending on climate and energy programs, with promises of tax rebates after you spend thousands on renewable energy.
• Americans don’t trust our political elites and polling shows they do not buy the Inflation Reduction Act one bit. A new poll shows 57% of voters believe this bill will either have no impact on inflation or will actually make inflation worse.