The new bill passed by the Senate and hailed as a major victory for Biden includes significant changes in various sectors.
This weekend, the Senate passed the bill initiated by Senators Joe Manchin and Chuck Schumer, called the "Inflation Reduction Act"; the next step will be in the House of Representatives before it goes to President Joe Biden's desk to become law.
Some features of the project are:
*A healthcare plan whose central idea is to allow Medicare (a national health insurance program of the United States government) to negotiate drug prices directly with pharmaceutical companies, thereby setting cost limits. It also supports seniors by limiting their out-of-pocket expenses for medications and providing them with free vaccines, among other things.
*Regarding climate change, the largest public investment in the history of the United States is estimated to be made, seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 401% by 2030 and boost the green energy industry.
*To finance it, Democrats propose a minimum 15% tax on companies with profits exceeding one billion dollars, and strengthening the tax collection agency to make it more difficult to avoid payments, among other things.
On the other hand, there was a latent fear that Republicans might introduce anti-immigrant amendments into the law, according to a coalition of nearly 300 civil organizations that had warned about their intentions.
Republicans made proposals to maintain Title 42 to allow the immediate expulsion of immigrants arriving at the border without allowing them to request asylum. They also requested funding to finish the border wall, as well as more resources for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), among other issues.
However, after a long day and a 50-50 tie, Vice President Kamala Harris cast the winning vote, and the Senate Democrats managed to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which did not include immigration amendments.
Although some supported a motion on border restrictions, most Senate Democrats blocked Republican amendments to the Inflation Reduction Act passed this Sunday.
“Our community was very concerned about the possibility of anti-immigrant amendments being added to this legislation. Fortunately, we can rejoice in the fact that the Inflation Reduction Act was passed without harmful amendments,” celebrated Yareliz Méndez-Zamora, leader of the Florida Immigrant Coalition’s federal campaign, one of the groups that joined the lobbying efforts.
Some aspects, such as free preschool for children between 3 and 4 years old, were left out, as was home medical care, among others. For now, its passage through the House of Representatives is expected to proceed without major obstacles.
News report based on information from: El Diario, El Tiempo Latino and RT.
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