Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is scheduled to visit Boston today, where she will deliver a speech at Roxbury Community College's Center for Smart Building Technology. Her speech is centered around highlighting the administration's initiatives in energy efficiency, particularly focusing on the energy efficiency tax credit and the Energy Auditor Training programs. These programs are integral components of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a significant piece of legislation under President Biden's tenure.

As the election draws closer, the spotlight intensifies on such programs. The IRA represents the largest expenditure in American history. Despite its scale, recent polls indicate a lack of widespread awareness, with 40% of American voters reportedly uninformed about the program. Only a third believe the IRA will bring direct benefits to their families. These perceptions are critical, as President Biden's handling of the economy and inflation are likely to be key issues in the upcoming election. His likely opponent, Former President Trump, is expected to strongly challenge Biden on these fronts.

The controversy surrounding green building initiatives is escalating. The Republican party has initiated investigations into potential misappropriations within the $400 billion green lending program. Parallels are being drawn to the Solyndra scandal that happened during the Obama administration, where the solar company went bankrupt even after it received a $575 million green energy loan as part of a stimulus bill.

There are plenty of hot button issues that will be debated in the run up to the election. Climate change and the economy will continue to be two of the main issues for many middle ground voters. President Biden's ability to effectively communicate his achievements in these areas, largely attributed to the IRA, will be crucial in determining his re-election prospects.

🍰 Let them eat cake: Blackstone has opened up its private equity investment vehicles, once only accessible to large funds, to high net worth investors. By doing so they were able to raise $1.3 billion for their Private Equity Strategy fund, or BXPE.

🗑 Throw it out: The National Association of Realtors along with its co-defendants have asked the court to reject the verdict or grant a retrial for the Missouri commission splitting case that it lost last year.