First modification:
President Joe Biden’s bill, to strengthen the social safety net and fight climate change, was approved this Friday, November 19, by the United States House of Representatives and now goes to the Senate, where Democrats and Republicans they must come to an agreement.
The United States House of Representatives approved this Friday, November 19, President Joe Biden’s ambitious social spending plan. The next step will be to send it to the Senate, where Republicans and Democrats will enter to debate.
The 1.9 trillion dollar measure that would reform the education, health, child care and environment sectors could define the legacy of the US president, since, in addition to being an aid package for the majority of middle and lower class families in the United States, would also have the largest investment to reduce the footprint of the climate disaster in the North American country.
All this, not to mention that the president just signed, this week, the infrastructure project to improve and modernize the nation’s roads and bridges.
“It puts us on the path to rebuilding our economy better than before, rebuilding the backbone of America: workers and the middle class,” Biden said in a statement urging the Senate to quickly pass the measure.
The vote in the House of Representatives came as the Democrat was preparing to temporarily transfer power to Vice President Kamala Harris while she underwent a colonoscopy under anesthesia, as part of a regular medical check-up.
The Build Back Better Act will lower costs, create jobs, and cut taxes, while tackling the climate crisis and growing the economy from the bottom up and middle out.
With its passage in the House, we’re one step closer to making a historic investment rebuilding the middle class.
– Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 19, 2021
The bill must survive the Senate
After a heated debate that lasted several hours, the Democrats erupted euphorically after the approval of the House with 220 votes in favor and 213 against.
The vote came after House Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy spoke for a record 8 1/2 hours beginning Thursday, delaying voting that day.
The House of Representatives vote follows the estimate of the Congressional Budget Office, as the bill would increase federal budget deficits by $ 367 billion over the next 10 years.
However, the bill still has a long way to go, beginning with an arduous budget process that will surely modify the measure, bringing the plan back to the House, if it is approved.
Additionally, it must also survive in the Senate vote, which is divided 50% by the different positions on the project.
But even if the project budget is reduced, Biden’s great economic plan can be as transformative as the Great Society and War on Poverty plan implemented in the 1960s.
“Under this leadership, for centuries, members of Congress have remained exactly where we are to pass legislation of extraordinary consequences for our nation’s history and for its future,” said President Nancy Pelosi, adding that the law “will be the pillar of health and financial security in the United States.”
What does the bill on social spending contain?
The plan proposes an educational restructuring for childhood, financial aid for childcare that extends to the middle class and an expansion of financial subsidies for university studies.
Hundreds of billions of dollars are proposed for the adult population in support of housing, home and community care, as well as price controls for prescription drugs.
Regarding investment for a more environmentally friendly economic development, it is estimated half a trillion dollars to shift US finances from fossil fuels to renewable energy and electric cars, which represents the largest investment made to stop the warming of the world. planet.
The package would largely be paid for with high-income and corporate tax increases, estimated to bring in nearly $ 1.5 trillion over 10 years.
With Reuters and AP
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