Despite unanimous Republican opposition, the U.S. Senate passed a landmark bill on Sunday that will impact healthcare, climate change and inflation in this country for years to come.
Vice President Kamala Harris cast the definitive vote in the Inflation Reduction Act, which was tied 50 to 50 between Democrats and Republicans, making way for the bill to head to Congress later this week where it is expected to pass.
The 755-page bill provides $430 billion to fight climate change and enhance health care coverage,according to NBC News, while earmarking hundreds of billions of dollars to reduce the deficit.
It’s the biggest climate bill passed in history, and a huge win for President Joe Biden, whosaid in a statementSunday that Senate Democrats “sided with American families over special interests.”
“I ran for President promising to make government work for working families again, and that is what this bill does — period,” the president said.
The bill looked to be at a stalemate just weeks ago, and is actually far smaller than Democrats hoped,The New York Timesreported.
“The caucus overwhelmingly is focused on what’s in this bill — not what’s not in the bill, even though every one of us would want more — because what’s in the bill is so incredible,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told the newspaper. “You had to thread the needle.”
Chuck Schumer, leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus.Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
Initially known as the Build Back Better bill, Democrats changed its name in hopes of tackling one of the most top-of-mind issues for voters—inflation.
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A minimum corporate tax would be established to pay for the bill “so that our richest corporations start to pay their fair share,” Biden said, adding, “It does not raise taxes on those making under $400,000 a year—not one cent.”
source: people.com
