US House passes Biden's $1.7T social spending bill

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - The US House of Representatives passed early Friday President Joe Biden's more than $1.7 trillion Build Back Better Act.

The lower chamber voted 220-213, while only one Democrat, Jared Golden from Maine, voted against the measure.

The $1.75 trillion bill, the largest social safety net in decades, includes Medicare expansion and Obamacare subsidies in health, credits for renewable energy, expanding child tax credits for a year and universal preschool, and affordable housing.

The House Democrats planned to pass the bill Thursday night, but the vote was delayed after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had a record-long speech that lasted for more than eight hours.

The bill now heads to the Senate for a vote where it is expected to be passed before Christmas, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

The voting came despite a nonpartisan agency report that showed the bill could cause deficit in a decade.

The Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) said Biden's plan would increase the budget deficit by $367 billion from 2022 to 2031, according to its report released Thursday.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, however, said on Nov. 4 the plan would raise over $2 trillion in offsets, making the entire package paid for over the next 10 years and would reduce deficits over the long term.