House Democrats pass Biden's jobs bill over unanimous GOP opposition

The Democratic majority in the House of Representatives passed President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion jobs bill on Friday, over the unanimous opposition of House Republicans. The Build Back Better package would invest billions in climate change and caregiving infrastructure.

The bill passed 220-213. One Democrat — Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) — joined every Republican present to vote against the bill.

The legislation, if passed, would invest in paid family leave, child care, free preschool, health care, home care, and child tax credits. The bill would also invest significant resources in clean energy initiatives and combating climate change.

The Build Back Better plan would lower prescription drug costs and enact immigration reform. Those investments will be entirely paid for with additional tax revenue from corporations and those earning $400,000 or more, spending cuts, and a crackdown on wealthy tax evaders.

According to Seth Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, the plan would reduce the federal deficit by $113 billion over the next 10 years, counter to Republicans’ repeated claims that the legislative package would increase the deficit.

The White House initially proposed a $3.5 trillion version of the spending package, but the Biden administration was forced to scale back the plan’s proposed spending in October after facing opposition from every Republican lawmaker and a few conservative Democrats.

GOP lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, continued to falsely claim the plan was somehow really a $5 trillion package and called it a “Socialist Spending Scam.”

On Thursday night and Friday morning, McCarthy delivered an eight-and-a-half-hour filibuster, attacking the legislation with a series of false claims. He blasted proposed tax enforcement provisions that had been removed and incorrectly claimed that it would lead to a rise in audit rates for lower- and middle-income families.

After McCarthy finished his speech, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called the bill for a vote, and it passed along party lines.

Despite Republicans’ fervent opposition to the plan, polls have consistently shown that it has broad popular support.

The bill now moves to the Senate, where it will likely undergo some changes. On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said they will “aim to pass it before Christmas.”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.