What happens next in the Senate
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After several months of starts/stops, the House passedOn Friday, President Joe Biden announced a $1.7 trillion Social Safety Net and Climate Bill.
Democrats will have no choice but to fight the process as it heads to Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hopes to get the Build Back Better act passed by Christmas. To do so, he will have to get all 50 members of his caucus — from conservative Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia to democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont — to back the same sweeping plan.
Many senators are pushing for modifications to the bill’s provisions, which include paid leave and tax breaks. Each tweak will need to be voted on again in the House. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi cannot afford three defections. (Only one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden, Maine, voted for the bill against it Friday).
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of Congress, (C), D.CA speaks at a news conference alongside Democratic leaders following the passing of the Build back Better Act. The event took place in Washington DC on November 19, 2021.
Getty Images| AFP | Getty Images
The Congress will be leaving Washington this Thanksgiving week. This creates a rush in December to pass the bill, before attention shifts to the midterm elections of 2022. Schumer announced that after Friday’s House vote, the Senate would consider the package. This will be after the Senate parliamentarian finishes the “necessary procedural and technical work” necessary to comply with the budget reconciliation rules. This special procedure allows Democrats to pass the plan without needing GOP votes.
He stated that he would act quickly to send the bill to President Biden and provide assistance for middle-class families.
The House billIncludes child-care subsidies and a one year extension of the enhanced Child Tax Credit. The plan would increase Medicare coverage for hearing aids as well as provide more options for Americans with low income to get insurance through Medicaid.
This plan also would put roughly $550 billion into programs designed to curb climate change.
Senate is changing
It is likely that the Senate will make some changes to the bill before it becomes law. Manchin will attempt at least one revision, although he has not yet publicly supported it as a result of his concerns about inflation and spending.
He stated that he intends to push for the repeal of the House provision which offered four weeks’ paid leave to most Americans.
Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona is another Democratic who might try to influence the Senate’s bill. Already, she has rebuffed her party’s attempts to raise tax rates for the wealthiest and largest businesses. This forced lawmakers to adopt more complex policies like a corporate minimum tax.
One of the most contentious issues in the Senate is tax policy. Sanders and Senator Bob Menendez, D.N.J. have taken issue with the House’s proposal to raise the state and local tax deductions cap to $80,000, from $10,000 through 2030.
The policy — which Pelosi has defended — would disproportionately help wealthy Americans as part of a bill Democrats have sold as a boon to working families. The Treasury would lose revenue as well.
It is not possible to be a political party which talks about taxation and ends up with legislation that grants large tax breaks for millionaires. “You can’t do this,” Senator Budget Committee Chair Sanders said Thursday in a tweet statement. The hypocrisy in this statement is just too strong. It’s not good policy.
Sanders also made Friday’s separate statement, citing tax policy and drug prices as well as Medicare expansion. He pledged to support the Senate’s Build back Better Act.
Democrats are likely to have to reach a compromise on tax deductions. A small number of House Democrats hailing from tax-exempt states, such as New York or New Jersey, made lifting the cap conditional on supporting the bill.
A proposal by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) to tax the billionaires’ wealth is another tax plan that may surface in Senate. Golden stated Friday that he could support legislation as long as the Senate Finance Committee Chair’s proposed levy for billionaires is included or the limit on local and state deductions is modified.
Other possible modifications include the Senate’s parliamentarian approving a House proposal that would establish legal protections to millions of undocumented immigrant workers.
Pelosi said Friday after the House adopted its bill, that it will be up to her to settle differences with Senate.
“This bill is now being reshaped by their committees. We’ll then see what needs to be done to resolve our differences. “But at the end, we’ll still have a great bill,” she stated.
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