Senate PASSES Biden-backed $740billion reconciliation bill with no Republican support thanks to Kamala tie-break vote: GOP Sen. Rick Scott says deal is a ‘war on seniors’ and Democrat Sen. Chris Coons admits it may take a YEAR to ease inflation
- The bill passed on a party-line vote with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the 50-50 tie
- It passed with an amendment by GOP Senator John Thune to exempt some companies from its 15 percent corporate minimum tax
- Senate Dems erupted in cheers and applause after the 16-hour voting session
- Democrats were hopeful for a win ahead of November’s midterm elections
- The bill contains funding to beef up IRS enforcement, expand green energy production, and lower the cost of healthcare
- Republicans successfully forced Democrats to strip a provision that would have capped the price of insulin at $35
- President Biden celebrated, stating that ‘today, Senate Democrats sided with American families over special interests,’ and urged the House to pass the bill
The Senate has passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, a $740 billion climate change and healthcare spending bill that has been the result of months-long talks within the Democratic Party.
No Republican lawmakers signed onto the bill, though Democrats were able to pass it via a simple majority through the budget reconciliation process.
Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote in the evenly divided chamber as Democrats erupted into applause at the end of their 16-hour session.
A visibly emotional Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer took to the Senate floor to thank everyone from Congressional staffers to the Capitol cafeteria workers for aiding the effort, telling them: ‘You’ll tell your grandchildren you were here.’
It’s a major win for Democrats’ agenda, whose prospects in the looming midterm elections had looked dim for months.
President Joe Biden lauded its passage in a statement and called on the House of Representatives to approve it as well – after which he can sign it into law.
‘Today, Senate Democrats sided with American families over special interests, voting to lower the cost of prescription drugs, health insurance, and everyday energy costs and reduce the deficit, while making the wealthiest corporations finally pay their fair share,’ Biden said.
‘I ran for President promising to make government work for working families again, and that is what this bill does – period.’
Lawmakers had been debating the package since 11 p.m. on Saturday, and continued into late afternoon on Sunday without stopping.
But Republicans have accused Democrats of misleading the American public with the legislation’s name, claiming it won’t help sky-high inflation and citing a study that says it could increase taxes on every income bracket.
GOP Sen. Rick Scott of Florida called the bill a ‘war on seniors’ during an interview on CBS News’ Face The Nation and claimed it would raise Medicare costs.
‘Right now, this bill actually ought to be called the war on seniors act. I mean, this is a war on Medicare. If you look at this. This is a $280 billion cut in Medicare,’ Scott said.
Meanwhile Democrat Sen. Chris Coons of Connecticut admitted on ABC News’ This Week that the bill could take ‘a year or more’ to cut inflation.