Rep. Demings uses Hurricane Ian to tout Inflation Reduction Act’s climate provisions: ‘So glad’ it passed

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As Hurricane Ian rages on, Rep. Demings says she is 'glad' the Inflation Reduction Act was passed

Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., praised the controversially named Inflation Reduction Act that has been criticized for having very little relation to inflation itself.

Senate candidate Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., made time to praise the Inflation Reduction Act Wednesday while discussing Hurricane Ian during an appearance on "All In with Chris Hayes." 

She suggested to MSNBC host Chris Hayes at one point that the controversially named legislation would be critical for answering climate concerns, saying, "I am so glad that we were able to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which, you know, a large portion of that will go to addressing climate change."

To begin the interview, Hayes noted that "obviously we live in an era of increased weather disaster, that’s the era we live in now and continue to be at as climate change continues into the near future, and Florida is uniquely exposed to those disasters, that was true even before we started heating the planet, even more true now."

Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., walks next to a bus at the kick off of the Giffords Florida bus tour, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (Associated Press)

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He followed up by asking Demings whether Florida "has gotten better at resilience, at making sure that it’s ready to withstand a storm like this."

Demings responded, "I think we’ve certainly taken some steps to improve our resiliency, but, Chris, we’re not gonna be where we need to be until we acknowledge climate change and take it extremely seriously."

She claimed that the frequency of natural disasters indicates the climate is indeed changing.

"Look, how much more do we need to experience before we accept that hurricanes are becoming more intense, more severe? We have several tornado watches going on right here in Florida, we see extreme flooding, particularly in South Florida with the rising sea level," she said.

A map of Hurricane Ian approaching the coast of Florida.  (NOAA via Getty Images)

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She later warned that climate change needs to be agreed upon politically.

"It’s time to stop talking about it, we all need to come to the table and realize that climate change is real and better prepare for the next hurricane season in the time moving forward," she said.

When asked about whether there is political unity forcing politicians to work together to respond to the disaster, Demings began by noting the severity of this current hurricane.

"As you well know, Ian is one of the largest, more intense storms that we have seen in the history of Florida. Look, I grew up in Florida. I’ve worked as a first responder for almost 30 years. This is certainly not my first storm, but certainly the intensity of this storm should cause all of us concern," she said.

Damaged boats lie on the land and water in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Fort Myers, Florida.  (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

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"I am so glad that we were able to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which, you know, a large portion of that will go to addressing climate change. We have got to come together, as I said, at the local and state level. We’ve got to join the federal partners, and deal with this issue, particularly in the state of Florida," she concluded.