This archive report was first published on 18 November 2021.
Published on November 18, 2021, House Democrats are driving towards a vote on their $1.85 trillion social policy and climate change bill, with Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressing optimism that the measure will reach President Biden's desk.
Speaker Pelosi expressed her confidence in the bill's passage, stating, "It's pretty exciting. This is historic; it is transformative," during a press conference on Thursday morning.
Despite the slim margin of control, Democrats can afford to lose only a few votes. However, Speaker Pelosi is leaving nothing to chance, with technical changes to be made to the bill before the vote to ensure it can be considered under special rules known as reconciliation.
Some moderate Democrats are still waiting on a final cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, which Speaker Pelosi said should arrive by 5 p.m. So far, the committee-by-committee judgments from the budget office have not raised fiscal concerns.
The bill, known as the Build Back Better Act, is the broadest intervention in the nation's social safety net in 50 years and the largest ever effort to combat climate change. It includes provisions such as universal prekindergarten, generous assistance with child care costs, prescription drug price controls, and home health care for older Americans.
However, the bill faces a difficult road in the Senate, where Republicans will have a clear shot to offer politically difficult amendments. Two Democratic centrists, Senators Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, have not committed to supporting the bill, and a single defection would bring the measure down in the evenly divided chamber.
