A marathon speech by House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy delayed but could not stop the inevitable: The House on Friday passed a nearly $2 trillion spending plan for social programs and the environment sought by President Biden, reports the AP. The vote was along party lines, save for a lone Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, described by the Hill as a centrist. He joined all Republicans in voting against the measure. It now moves to the Senate, where Politico notes it will almost certainly be pared down in size and cost. For example, the House bill includes four weeks of paid family leave, and Sen. Joe Manchin has put that on the chopping block, per NBC News. Senators are not expected to take up the measure until next month.
A quick assessment by the Washington Post: The bill "amounts to a dramatic re-envisioning of the role of government in Americans' daily lives. It sets aside in some cases historic sums to aid workers, families and businesses, seeking to rewire the very fabric of an economy still recovering from the financial devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic." Republicans, however, say it costs too much. "Contrary to President Biden’s repeated claim that this bill will cost zero dollars, it will actually cost trillions," said GOP Rep. Tom Cole. (Passage comes after Biden signed a massive infrastructure bill, whose fate was tied up in negotiations on this larger spending package.)
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