WASHINGTON - US lawmakers on Friday adopted President Joe Biden's sprawling climate, tax and health care plan, a major win for the veteran Democrat that includes the biggest American investment in the fight against global warming.
The House of Representatives passed the Bill along strict party lines after approval of it in the Senate by a razor-thin margin, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote.
Biden praised the adoption of his plan, which includes a US $370 billion investment that will bring a 40 per cent drop in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Special interests were lost, the president tweeted after the vote.
With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in the House, families will see lower prescription drug prices, lower health care costs, and lower energy costs. I look forward to signing it into law next week. The vote is a clear victory for Biden on one of his top policy priorities less than three months before November's crucial midterm elections, with his Democratic Party controlling Congress in the balance.
It should help restore the semblance of US leadership in the fight to reduce carbon emissions.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the legislation a robust cost-cutting package that meets the moment, ensuring that our families thrive and that our planet survives. The package includes the largest ever commitment to fighting climate change by the world's biggest economy, one of the worst polluters, according to the last comments before the vote by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Climate activists rejoiced after the 220 -- 207 vote, which earned the support of all Democrats, even progressives who lamented that it did not go far enough.
The President of the Union of Concerned Scientists, Johanna Chao Kreilick, said the legislation was a game changer and reason for hope The Inflation Reduction Act would provide $64 billion for health care initiatives and ensure lower costs for some drugs, which can be 10 times more expensive in the United States than in some other rich nations.
The bill was criticised by conservatives as wasteful spending, but no Republican lawmakers supported it.
Democrats are trying to get rid of a bill by Congress that would cost hundreds of billions of dollars our country doesn't have, on far-left policies our country can't afford, according to Republican lawmaker Lee Zeldin.