long time coming
House approves Democrats' spending bill 220-207
The House approved Democrats' landmark Inflation Reduction Act on Friday, marking yet another legislative win for both the party and President Biden.
The bill, which passed in a partisan 220-207 vote, is expected to be signed into law next week, reports USA Today. It previously cleared the Senate 51-50.
"There are a few days in a congressional career that feel truly historic. To me, this is one of them," Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), also House Majority Whip, said Friday.
Of course, though, not everyone is happy. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), for example, criticized both Democrats and the legislation in an almost 50-minute floor speech prior to the vote. "Today the majority jams through another spending spree," he said, per USA Today. "I believe the largest tone-deaf bill we've seen in this chamber in 230 years."
The monumental climate and health care bill "secures the largest-ever investment to tackle climate change," while simultaneously bringing about the most significant changes to U.S. health policy since the Affordable Care Act, note The Washington Post and The Week. Democrats been negotiating some version of the package for over a year, having adopted a number of different iterations before landing on the version now heading to Biden.
The White House will hold an event on Sept. 6 to celebrate the bill's passage, the president tweeted Friday. "Today, the American people won," he said.