Home WebMail Friday, November 1, 2024, 04:24 AM | Calgary | -3.2°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
Posted: 2022-08-12T21:42:47Z | Updated: 2022-08-12T21:42:47Z

Democrats gave President Joe Biden a big win for his economic and environmental agenda Friday as the House passed a sweeping bill to fight climate change , make seniors drugs cheaper and boost taxes on corporations.

The 220-207 party-line vote was never much in doubt. The next stop is the White House for Biden to sign it into law.

Fridays vote marked the end of a legislative journey that started last year as Biden looked to boost social spending and deal with climate change. The bill, dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act, is also congressional Democrats capstone argument to take to voters in November to retain control of Congress.

The bills passage comes amid some hopeful signs for Democrats on the midterm elections front. Theyve seen a string of recent legislative victories, and Bidens approval numbers have edged up. In addition, there are signs the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade has energized the partys base.

The bill was sharply pared back from the Build Back Better bill that passed the House last year and was stalled by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) because he said it was too expensive. But after Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) reached a deal on the new, slimmed down bill now without much in the way of direct social spending the Senate passed it after a marathon series of votes that ended Sunday.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), speaking to reporters before the bills passage, called it monumental.