Democrats prep to push social spending bill

The House passed a more than $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill late Friday, sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk in a critical step toward enacting sprawling Democratic economic plans.

The Senate approved the revamp of transportation, utilities and broadband in August. The legislation’s passage is perhaps the unified Democratic government’s most concrete achievement since it approved a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package in the spring.

The measure passed in a 228-206 vote. Thirteen Republicans supported it, while six Democrats voted against it. Biden could sign the bill within days.

Washington has tried and failed for years to pass a major bill to upgrade critical transportation and utility infrastructure, which has come under more pressure from extreme weather. The White House has also contended passage of the bill can help to get goods moving as supply-chain obstacles contribute to higher prices for American consumers.

The vote Friday followed a day of wrangling over how to enact the two planks of the party’s agenda. The push-and-pull exemplified party leaders’ months long struggle to get progressives and centrists — who have differing visions of the government’s role in the economy — behind the same bills.

Democrats entered the day planning to pass both the infrastructure legislation and the party’s larger $1.75 trillion social safety net and climate package. A demand from a handful of centrists to see a Congressional Budget Office estimate of the social spending plan’s budgetary effects delayed its approval. Progressives sought assurances the holdouts would support the bigger proposal if they voted for the infrastructure bill.

After hours of talks — and a Biden call into a progressive caucus meeting urging lawmakers to back the infrastructure bill — the party’s liberal wing got assurances from centrists that they would support the larger package. The social and climate plan then cleared a key procedural hurdle early Saturday morning.

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said the group reached a deal to back the infrastructure plan in exchange for a commitment to take up the safety-net bill “no later than the week of November 15.” A group of five centrists separately issued a statement saying they would back the Build Back Better legislation pending a CBO score that assuages their concerns about long-term budget deficits.

In a statement after the House vote, Biden said the legislation would “create millions of jobs, turn the climate crisis into an opportunity, and put us on a path to win the economic competition for the 21st Century.” He also noted that the procedural vote on the second Democratic bill will “allow for passage of my Build Back Better Act in the House of Representatives the week of November 15th.”

The House is out of Washington next week, and it could take the CBO days or weeks to prepare a score of the legislation.

The bills together make up the core of Biden’s domestic agenda. Democrats see the plans as complementary pieces designed to boost the economy, jolt the job market, provide a layer of insurance to working families and curb climate change.

Biden and Democrats have looked for a signature achievement they can point to on the 2022 midterm campaign trail as the president’s approval ratings flag. Biden will welcome Friday’s developments, as House passage of the bill followed a strong October jobs report and approval of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine for 5-to-11-year-olds in the U.S.

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[jamesdubois]

"Social Spending" is just fancy liberal-speak for "eaten up by administrative costs"

[hdaviator]

Social spending = throwing your money into an incinerator.

[skipstalforce]

Why is it every year there is a crisis and we have to increase the debt limit, every year. This smells like a shake down to me.🙄🙄🙄

[illnevertell]

“Build Back Better” Brought to you by people who have never built anything

[veryhandymann]

America has already spent OVER $20 TRILLION on the War on Poverty. Since there are always more and more people there will always be some poverty.

[keithknight]

Build back better... Brought to you by the people that have so far destroyed everything they've touched!

[skepticalobserver]

Democrats should be forced to pay for all this from their own personal pockets, and no one else.

[CHAOS_E]

The consequences will be nearly as bad as the Great Depression.

[saratheriault]

Please don't, we don't need to pass this debt on to our children's children children. Shame on you

[tomasneel]

40 yrs ago, Mexico called their fascist social programs ....mas progreso.... lmao

[Qthekat]

More pork and payoffs... and Know it's not free...

[kemattj]

"We're in the major of the highest inflation in years. How are we going to deal with it? Oh yes! Let's create another bill that will require us to print a lot of money, which will increase it even further! WE'RE GENIUSES!!!!"

[doctorstrangelove]

Social spending bill a new name for new welfare scheme.

[duard]

America doesn't want this garbage bill passed. Let's Go Brandon!!!

[AmericanAntiCorruptionAct]

The economy's going great if you're a billionaire. If you're not a billionaire, don't worry. More low-wage jobs with no benefits and overtime-exemption are coming to you.

[rodgermurphy]

"Hey inflation is kicking in....let's spend 3 trillion more dollars " - democrats

[robertmoir]

In 2022 and 2024 I hope republicans are prevalent

[lobomedina]

Translation:
The Hunger Games elitists give the peasants yet another double middle finger.

[milktotheshake]

"social spending and climate bill" 😂

[guero]

It comes down to what lobbyists pad who's pockets first..