President Joe Biden’s massive social reform plan was adopted by the House of Representatives on Friday, a crucial milestone victory ahead of its promisingly difficult Senate review.
The text, dubbed “Build Back Better”, is a social and environmental plan of 1800 billion dollars, which provides in particular kindergarten for all, tax credits for American households and major investments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
This vote comes three days after the signing by the Democratic president of the first part of his great economic plan, his infrastructure law, the largest public works program in the United States since Dwight Eisenhower created the inter-motorway network. States in 1956.
Next step for the “Build Back Better” plan, the Senate, where its adoption promises to be complex, before returning to the lower house, probably in December or January.
The vote of the text “is another giant step in the pursuit of my economic program, to create jobs, reduce costs, make our country more competitive and give a real chance of success to workers as well as to the middle class” , welcomed Joe Biden in a statement.
The Head of State, after a brief transfer of his powers to Vice President Kamala Harris for a colonoscopy under anesthesia, resumed his duties at 11:35 am He called the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, Friday morning “to congratulate her on adopting” Build Back Better “, according to White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
Millions of jobs
In the House, Democrats couldn’t afford to lose more than three members to win the vote.
In the end, only one Democrat sided with the Republicans in rejecting the text.
The vote was tipped for Thursday night, but Republican lower house leader Kevin McCarthy derailed the Democratic majority’s plans with a rousing speech, started shortly after 8:30 p.m. and ended at 5 a.m.
“The biggest challenge was to get the text there,” applauded Nancy Pelosi after the vote.
The White House promises its ambitious social reforms will create millions of jobs, while Republicans see them as an example of what they denounce as the spending madness of their Democratic opponents.
This text “will reduce the deficit by more than $ 100 billion over ten years,” assured Joe Biden.
This crucial step is a welcome success for the Democratic president, faced with disastrous opinion polls.
But there is still a long way to go before its adoption, especially since it will certainly be altered by the Senate.
This chamber being very exactly divided (50 elected for each camp), any Democrat or affiliate has in fact what is akin to a veto on any bill if the Republicans close ranks.
However, the centrists do not hide their concerns about planned spending.
Last month, prices had risen 6.2% year on year, bringing water to the mill of the Republican opposition which aims to take back from the Democrats both houses of Congress next year, in the elections of mid -mandate.
The Democratic leader of the Senate, Chuck Schumer, wanted to reassure Friday: “We will act as quickly as possible so that this bill arrives on the office of Joe Biden and comes to the aid of the families of the middle class”, has t he promised in a press release.