House Passes Biden’s $2 Trillion Social Safety Net Bill By 220-213 Vote

The House narrowly passed President Joe Biden‘s $2 trillion social safety net and climate bill, better known as the Build Back Better Act, on Friday morning by a 220-213 vote, with all Republicans opposed and one Democrat joining them.

Shortly before the bill’s passage, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced: “Under this dome, for centuries, members of Congress have stood exactly where we stand to pass legislation of extraordinary consequence in our nation’s history and for our nation’s future.”

She added that the act “will be the pillar of health and financial security in America.”

The bill still has to go through the Senate as well as navigate the reconciliation budgeting process.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated on Thursday that the bill will increase the federal budget deficit by over $160 billion in the next 10 years, but that estimate did not include expected additional revenue from increased IRS enforcement which is expected to greatly exceed $160 billion.

The bill will offer universal prekindergarten, subsidies for child care and health insurance, expanded financial aid packages for college students, housing support and price controls for prescription drugs.

The bill will also put more than half a trillion dollars towards renewable energy and electric cars in an attempt to slow global warming.

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland), the House majority leader, said Thursday: “This bill will be transformational, and it will be measured in the deeper sense of hope that Americans will have when they see their economy working for them instead of holding them back.”

Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Florida), a key centrist, released the following statement about her vote: “While I continue to have reservations about the overall size of the legislation — and concerns about certain policy provisions that are extraneous or unwise — I believe there are too many badly needed investments in this bill not to advance it in the legislative process.”

Representative Richard E. Neal of Massachusetts, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said: “Now, it’s going to be just telling our story — that’s the challenge. We’ve got make sure that people understand which party came through, and we really did.”