US House Approves Biden's Sweeping Social, Climate Spending Bill
14:47 GMT 19.11.2021 (Updated: 18:40 GMT 19.11.2021)
© AFP 2023 / ANNA MONEYMAKER
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The vote took place despite earlier efforts by House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to delay it by delivering a lengthy speech that lasted over eight and a half hours.
The US House of Representatives, during the Friday vote, passed Joe Biden's massive Build Back Better agenda envisaging an estimated $1.75 trillion in social and climate spending.
The final tally for the vote was 220 in favour and 213 opposed. After the vote wrapped up, the House lawmakers erupted into cheers.
Now the bill is headed to the Senate for consideration, and should it be passed there, it will be sent to President Biden's desk.
Many lawmakers have already celebrated the passage of the bill in the House on social media. Welcoming the legislation, Representative Adam Schiff tweeted: "The Senate must act. Without delay".
Another Democratic lawmaker, Representative Jamie Raskin, touted the passage of the bill as "a victory for government that works for the people".
Biden himself described Friday's vote as "another giant step forward in carrying out my economic plan to create jobs, reduce costs, make our country more competitive, and give working people and the middle class a fighting chance".
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also said shortly after the vote that President Biden had called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to congratulate her on advancing his Build Back Better agenda.
"We'll be telling our children and grandchildren we were here today", Nancy Pelosi said during the press conference that followed the vote. "For us, it's not just about the legislation, it's about the values".
🚨HOUSE DEMOCRATS PASS THE BUILD BACK BETTER ACT🚨
— House Democrats (@HouseDemocrats) November 19, 2021
This historic investment will:
✅ Boost our economy
✅ Create millions of new jobs
✅ Combat the climate crisis
✅ Ensure no community is left behind
It’s a brand new day in America 🇺🇸 !
However, not everyone shared the Democrats’ joy about the passage of the bill, with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, joined by other prominent House Republicans, blasting the legislation as "Radical Tax and Spend Spree".
"At a time when Americans are paying outrageously higher prices for gas at the pump and food at the grocery store, Democrats responded by ramming through a multi-million dollar tax-and-spending spree that will drive inflation even higher, hitting low-income families the hardest", said the statement by McCarthy, House GOP Whip Steve Scalise and Representative Elise Stefanik.
GOP leaders pledged to "continue to fight against their radical, failed agenda and stand up for the working and middle-class Americans that big-government Democrats have abandoned".
Among the Republicans responding to the passage of the Build Back Better bill was former President Donald Trump, who said that "the Democrats are getting far more than they ever dreamed possible".
"If they don't stop this horrendous, Communistic style Bill that will be ruinous to all we stand for as a Country, we should not approve a Debt Ceiling increase", Trump said.
The ambitious spending plan has drawn additional criticism recently due to concerns about the record-high 6.2% inflation in the United States, with several lawmakers expressing worries in this regard to how massive social and climate spending might affect the US budget and regular taxpayers.
President Biden has addressed inflationary concerns, admitting that the high prices situation is "worrisome", but assuring that his administration is monitoring the situation. He has also repeatedly voiced the belief that his Build Back Better plan is an effective tool to "lower costs for families right away".
The long-suffering legislation weathered many obstacles before being greenlighted in the House: not only did it divide the Democratic Party over the reasoning behind the massive spending ambitions, but it continues to fend off the harsh criticism from Republicans. In particular, Kevin McCarthy delivered a record-breaking filibuster-style speech on the House floor on early Friday, attempting to delay the vote by speaking for over eight and a half hours.
The spending package envisages some $1.75 trillion in spending on social welfare and climate change programmes if passed, along with funding for paid family and medical leave, expanding Obamacare, and providing access to universal daycare for three- and four-year-old children.
