The House of Representatives passed the so-called “Build Back Better Act” Friday morning, a $1.7 trillion bill replete with funding for social programs like universal pre-K, additional Child Tax Credits, clean energy tax credits, Medicare expansion, and many other provisions.
The vote was slated to take place Thursday evening, but House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy delayed it with an eight-and-a-half hour speech beginning at 8:38 p.m. and concluding at 5:10 Friday morning.
Nevertheless, H.R. 5376 passed by a narrow party-line vote of 220-213, with only one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, voting against it.
The GOP wing of the Minnesota delegation — Reps. Jim Hagedorn, Tom Emmer, Pete Stauber, and Michelle Fischbach — all released statements Friday morning following the bill’s passage.
“Without a doubt, the Democrats’ bill is designed to transform America into a big government socialist state, controlled by one-party. Once again, Democrat members of the House have ‘walked the plank’ for Speaker Pelosi and voted for radical legislation, which will be gutted or killed in the Senate,” said Hagedorn.
Emmer pointed out that the Congressional Budget Office has estimated there would be “hundreds of billions of dollars added to our debt” if the Build Back Better Act becomes law.
“This is not the time to be imposing new taxes and new mandates on our job creators, yet President Biden and Speaker Pelosi continue to push an out-of-touch agenda that will lead to higher prices and more government involvement in the lives of the American people,” he added.
Stauber and Fischbach echoed these inflationary concerns as well.
“From skyrocketing inflation to severe supply chain disruptions, the United States of America is in a constant state of crisis due to the failed policies of the Biden Administration. Unfortunately, instead of working together to put this country back on the right path, Joe Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and their allies in Congress are doubling down on this failed agenda by pushing a tax-and-spend package that will fundamentally change America and make problems we are facing even worse,” said Stauber.
“The spending in this bill will exacerbate already record-high inflation. It will increase tax audits on small businesses. It provides amnesty and payouts to illegal immigrants. It does not have Hyde Amendment protections included anywhere, directly acting against the millions of Americans who do not want their tax dollars to fund abortions,” added Fischbach.
Despite its passage in the House, a near inevitability due to Democratic control of the chamber, the Build Back Better Act faces serious challenges in the Senate, where Democrats Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are likely to express reservations about the cost of the bill and some of its provisions.
In the event that the Senate manages to pass an amended version of the bill, the House will need to vote on it once more before it can be signed by President Biden.
Evan Stambaugh
Evan Stambaugh is a freelance writer who had previously been a sports blogger. He has a BA in theology and an MA in philosophy.
