Senate Democrats overcome procedural obstacles to the spending and marquee tax bills

Senate Democrats cleared a crucial procedural hurdle to their $740billion health care, climate and tax package. This is a major win for the party, after months of tension over the key bill that President Biden had been putting off.

Vice president Kamala Harris cast the tiebreaking vote on Saturday night to allow for final discussion on the Inflation Reduction Act. The evenly divided chamber voted on the measure along party lines in rare weekend sessions as Democrats raced to get the bill through the finish line, before the Senate goes into August recess.

” “It is time to move the nation forward,” Charles E. Schumer (New York Democrat) said before the vote. The Senate Democrats started this majority promising to address the most pressing problems facing America. Inflation Reduction Act is the culmination of one the longest and most productive periods in the Senate’s history .”

“In all, the American people will benefit from what we do here and right now,” he stated.

Senate Democrats were given the go-ahead to move the bill on Thursday night after the last holdout, Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema signaled she was willing to “move ahead” with the legislation that would change tax provisions in the bill, which targeted large corporations and wealthy investors.

Ms. Sinema approved the bill. Elizabeth MacDonough (Senate parliamentarian) reviewed the legislation to make sure it meets Senate budget reconciliation rules.

Ms. MacDonough decided early Saturday that Democrats had to take out a provision from the law that would have required drugmakers to give rebates to private insurance companies if they sold products at prices that exceed inflation.

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Drug manufacturers will still be subject to penalties for drugs purchased by Medicare.

Other provisions aimed at drug prices, such as measures that allow Medicare to negotiate drug cost and cap seniors’ out of pocket costs, have survived the scrub.

Mr. Schumer stated earlier that the key Democratic priorities in the original draft of the bill are “largely intact”, following the scrub by a non-partisan referee.

” After our meetings have been largely completed, we now have a bill that can be supported by all 50 Democrats.” he stated. The bill, when it is passed, will achieve all our goals: fighting climate change and lower health care costs. It will also close tax loopholes that wealthy people abuse, and reduce the deficit .

Under Senate Rules Governing the Reconciliation Process, Mr. Schumer must secure a simple majority within the evenly divided chamber to meet the 60-vote threshold.

” This is a significant win for Americans and a sad commentary about the Republican Party, which actively opposes provisions that lower the cost of living for American families,” he stated.

The White House called on lawmakers to continue moving forward with what it said would be “a critical victory for American workers, families and the U.S economy,” ahead of the vote.

” This historic law would address today’s greatest economic challenges and make the United States stronger over the coming decades. It also positions the United States as the leader in clean-energy innovation,” said the White House.

The Saturday night vote that began the final debate started what will be an exhausting process before legislation passes the finish line.

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Critics say that the Democrats bill is not designed to combat inflation. It introduces climate-killing provisions, tax increases and job-killing regulations which will slow down economic growth.

“Democrats already robbed American families through inflation. Now their solution is to steal Americans yet another time,” Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky. Republican) said Saturday on the Senate Floor. “Democrats are attempting to push through tax increases of hundreds of billions, and excess spending .”

in the hundreds of millions,” McConnell (Kentucky Republican) said.

Republicans intend to fight the bill in what is known as “vote a-rama”, which takes place over hours and forces the entire chamber to review any changes to budget legislation. The strategy is designed to make Democrats defensive about a variety of controversial topics.

At the conclusion of votes on amendments (which could begin as early as this weekend), the majority party approves a final amendment that negates any prior one.

The Senate Republicans pledged to make it as difficult as possible, in an unlikely last-ditch effort to get enough Democratic colleagues to drop the bill.

” “It will feel like hell,” South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters on Friday. They deserve this .”

” They are creating legislation that makes life harder for the average citizen,” he stated. “I hope we can make some sense of it and convince a few people to abandon the jihad that they have started to tax and spend .”

.

Mr. Graham joined a number of GOP colleagues to rip into the bill in advance of several votes over the weekend.

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Senate minority whip John Thune from South Dakota stated that the bill “will have no discernible benefit on inflation”, a claim the Democrats disagree with.

“This tax hike on job-creators in this nation won’t address the country’s inflation crisis and economic recession,” said Mr. Thune. The American people deserve better. This bill .”

will be defeated. We are going to do all we can.

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