China News Agency, Washington, November 19 (Reporter Sha Hanting) The US House of Representatives voted on the 19th local time to pass the social welfare and climate change bill of about 2 trillion US dollars.
In the vote on the day, 220 votes in favor and 213 votes against.
The voting results were basically drawn according to party affiliation, and a Democratic congressman joined the Republican camp and voted against it.
The vote was originally scheduled to be held on the evening of the 18th. Later, the vote was delayed due to more than 8 hours of speech by House Minority Leader and Republican McCarthy until 5 a.m. on the 19th.
The speech also became the longest speech in the history of the House of Representatives.
The 2 trillion bill passed this time includes the provision of free kindergarten education; appropriate tax cuts for families with children; paid personal leave and sick leave; improvement of social welfare programs such as medical insurance for the elderly and corresponding measures to respond to climate change.
Democratic congressmen believe that the bill has "historical significance" and will benefit American families and provide them with protection.
Republican lawmakers believe that the bill will increase inflation, increase fiscal deficits, and increase the risk of overheating the economy.
On the evening of the 18th, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its evaluation data on the bill.
According to CBO's assessment, the bill will increase the government's fiscal deficit by US$367 billion in the next 10 years.
If additional tax revenue is included, the fiscal deficit will increase by US$160 billion in the next 10 years.
Next, the bill will be reviewed and voted on in the Senate.
Currently, the Democrats and Republicans each hold 50 seats in the Senate.
Democratic senators must all vote for it, plus a vote from the Vice President and Speaker of the Senate, Harris, to pass the bill.
Senator Joe Manchin, a moderate Democrat from West Virginia, became a key figure in the passage of the bill.
Manchin has repeatedly stated in recent days that the total price of the bill is too high.
In an interview on the 18th, he still said that he has not yet decided whether he will vote for the bill.
As a "signature project" promoted by the Biden administration, the Democrats introduced the bill in August this year when it amounted to 3.5 trillion U.S. dollars. After many discussions, "slimming" became the $2 trillion version passed by the House of Representatives.
According to US media analysis, the bill is expected to be passed in the Senate until it needs to be "slim down" again.
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