US President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion reconciliation bill “faces an uncertain future in the evenly divided 50-50 Senate”, where the Democrats are bracing for a protracted battle with the Republicans over the document, the New York Post (NYP) has reported.
The newspaper cited an unnamed Capitol Hill source as saying that “the House bill will most likely take a haircut in the Senate” and that “negotiations are now laser focused, with members discussing the things they want, the things they want to tweak, and those things they just want out”.
The claims come after the House passed the bill, also known as the Build Back Better Act, in a slim 220-213 vote, amid reports that the Senate aims to approve the legislation before Christmas.
The Capitol Hill insider argued that “Christmas might be the 5-yard line” and that “it’s the Waterford ball or bust” when it comes to the future of the document. According to the source, a final vote may take place by New Year’s Eve.
In a statement after the House vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pledged to “act as quickly as possible to get this bill to President Biden’s desk and deliver help for middle-class families”.
Biden described the Build Back Better Act as "fiscally responsible" and argued that it would reduce the US budget deficit over the long-term.
“Above all, it puts us back on the path to build our economy back better than before by rebuilding the backbone of America: working people and the middle class”, he asserted.
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, for his part, told Fox News that “Not a single Republican will vote for this bill”, which will be returned to the House for another vote if the Senate makes any changes to the package.
This followed Democratic Senator Joe Manchin demanding more time to get "clarity" on the economic impact of Biden’s social spending package. Manchin made it clear that he “would not support the reconciliation legislation without knowing how the bill would impact our debt and our economy and our country”.
“As more of the real details outlined in the basic framework are released, what I see are shell games, budget gimmicks that make the real cost of the so-called $1.75 trillion bill estimated to be almost twice that amount, if the full time is run out, if you extended it permanently. And that we haven't even spoken about. This is a recipe for economic crisis”, the senator claimed.
The Build Back Better Act would expand spending on certain social welfare and climate change programmes, if passed. Among other provisions, the document includes funding for paid family and medical leave, expands the Obamacare health programme, as well as universal pre-kindergarten care for three- and four-year-old children.
The package also stipulates allocating hefty sums for a provision that would allow the government to give work permits and deportation protection to millions of undocumented immigrants.