There’s a lot to unpack in the Democrats’ sweeping $750 billion Inflation Reduction Act, but a number of provisions will bear directly on Kentucky.

Dustin Pugel is with the left-leaning Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. He says the first piece of the bill — likely to be felt by thousands of Kentuckians — will be the extension of subsidies for those receiving their health coverage through the health insurance exchange. Without them, Pugel says many would have seen substantial premium increases.

Other elements of the bill aimed at combating climate change, in part by incentivizing the purchase of cleaner energy including electric vehicles, could affect the state in a number of ways.

"I think that's especially pertinent to Kentucky, not only because of the recent natural disasters that are surely in some way to climate, but also because we have a lot of jobs coming to Kentucky related to electric vehicles in particular in Warren and Hardin counties," he notes. "So this really sort of solidifies that industry and will maintain those businesses in our state for a long time."

It’s a list of priorities Kentucky’s senator, Mitch McConnell, claims are out-of-step with the country’s biggest concerns, things like crime and the border, according to the Republican leader. Skeptical the bill will do much for inflation, McConnell also warned of "giant job-killing tax hikes," referencing new requirements that corporations making $1 billion or more in annual profits pay at least 15% of those profits in taxes.

Americans’ priorities are crystal clear: Inflation, the economy, crime, and the border. But not one Senate Democrat would agree to take one dime out of their Green New Deal nonsense to cut inflation, fight crime, or secure the border. https://t.co/wLOdfpTEd8

But Democrats say it’s a forward-thinking bill that boasts a number of firsts, including granting Medicare the power to negotiate some prescription drug prices.

Read the full Kentucky Center for Economic Policy report.