The House of Representatives approved the Senate-approved project on Friday evening (local time) after Biden’s Democrats abandoned a joint decision on a more comprehensive social and climate package worth 1.75 trillion dollars (1.51 trillion euros). This has no prospect of success in the Senate.
Not all Democrats are behind the plan
The adoption of the infrastructure package is a great success for Biden, who now only has to put his signature on the set of rules. The decision came a few days after a heavy defeat for the Democrats in regional polls, including in the stronghold of Virginia. Just a year after Biden’s historic election victory, voters had turned away from the Democrats in droves. The presidential party was apparently blamed for the country’s political deadlock. The Democrats have been in control of the White House and both chambers of parliament since last year’s election. In the Senate, however, not all Democrats support the plan for more comprehensive social and climate subsidies.
“Call on every member of parliament to vote yes”
Some of Biden’s Democrats only wanted to vote on both bills together on Friday. Biden had previously addressed the MPs publicly for the first time: “I call on every member of parliament, members of the House of Representatives, to vote yes for these two laws now.” Biden’s promise to cut greenhouse gas emissions by half compared to 2005 remains credible only with the approval of the House of Representatives. The promised economic boost and the improvement in social services also depend on the laws.
The background to the hanging game, which has now lasted for months, is the dispute between the progressive and the moderate wing of the Democrats. Several moderate-wing Democrats wanted to see a bipartisan cost estimate of the already slimmed-down 1.75 trillion social and environmental package before voting on it. That would have to be done by the congress authority Congressional Budget Office (CBO). However, the CBO calculations would take weeks.
The spokeswoman for the House of Representatives, the Democrat Nancy Pelosi, wanted to vote only on the infrastructure package on Friday. However, the progressive Democrats announced that they would only support this if the 1.75 trillion package called “Build Better Back” was passed.
While the infrastructure package is also supported by opposition Republicans, the environmental and social policy measures are met with unanimous opposition. Since the Democrats only have a wafer-thin majority in the House of Representatives, “Build Better Back” can only pass through the Chamber if all Democrats vote in favor.
Source From: Nachrichten
