Mississippi Republican Congressmen all vote no while Democrat Thompson backs President Biden’s agenda.
The Democrat controlled U.S. House of Representatives has passed a $2 trillion “social safety net and climate change” bill promoted by President Joe Biden in his “Build Back Better” spending agenda.
All three of Mississippi’s Republican Congressman – Trent Kelly, Michael Guest and Steven Palazzo – opposed the bill, while the state’s lone Democrat Congressman Bennie Thompson supported its passage.
The House vote was 220-213 to pass the bill. One Democrat, Maine Congressman Jared Golden, voted with Republicans in opposition.
As Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the passage of the bill, Democrats chanted the Speaker’s name in celebration.
.@SpeakerPelosi: "The Build Back Better Bill is passed."
The House of Representatives passes President Biden's Social Spending Plan. The bill goes now to the U.S. Senate. pic.twitter.com/zxTxPCPz70
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 19, 2021
The vote comes after a marathon three-plus hour speech from House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy attempting to filibuster the measure and highlighting the perils conservatives see with the bill. He called the it the “most reckless and irresponsible spending bill in our nation’s history.”
Various progressive social and climate priorities are included in the bill, including free universal preschool, expanded family leave, billions in incentive programs for climate change causes such switching up to 165,000 U.S. Postal Service trucks to electric and creating a Civilian Climate Corps. The bill raises personal income taxes on some Americans and increases corporate taxes while adding personnel to IRS enforcement.
Mississippi Third District Congressman Guest spoke against the bill on the House floor earlier this week warning of the impacts the bill will have on middle income families and the ongoing border crisis.
“For months, Republicans have warned that the taxes would fall on middle income Americans. Last week, even the left-leaning Tax Policy Center released analysis showing that this legislation would increase taxes for upwards of 30 percent of middle-class Americans. Republicans warned that this bill would not pay for itself, and we have now learned that President Biden’s plan will not generate enough revenue to cover the cost of these expensive programs. Instead, it will pay 87,000 new IRS agents to spy on American bank accounts.
“This bill will give mass amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants and make the border crisis worse, it will cause inflation to skyrocket to unsustainable levels, it will make our labor crisis worse by creating a welfare without work system, and it will strip pro-life provisions that have protected unborn life for decades. We have been right over and over again about the terrible consequences of Progressive policies. We are right about the Build Back Better plan.”
Second District Congressman Palazzo pointed out on Twitter that the CBO contradicted President Biden and Speaker Pelosi’s claim that the bill would cost zero and add zero to the long-term deficit.
Does it shock anyone that Biden and Pelosi lied?
Estimates from the Congressional Budget Office show that 2 trillion ≠ $0. Surprise surprise.
— Steven Palazzo (@CongPalazzo) November 17, 2021
The Congressional Budget Office now projects the legislation will add $160 billion to the national deficit.
The bill now moves to the U.S. Senate as it makes its way through the reconciliation process Democrats are using to push the measure through to avoid the 60-vote threshold. Democrats want the bill passed before Christmas. Changes are likely in the Senate as leaders there attempt to gain the support of Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). If changes are made, the bill would need to pass the House of Representatives again before being sent to the President for his signature.
Frank Corder
