The measure was 50-49 in the Upper House, with the absence of a legislator, Sen. Mike Rounds, Republican from the state of South Dakota, after a marathon session of rapid voting, in which Republicans presented several politically charged amendments.
Voting dragged on for more than 14 hours before the Democrats approved the measure minutes before 4 a.m. on Wednesday, which would allow them to fund health care, education measures, actions to counteract the climate change and increase taxes on rich people and corporations.
The denouement came after a bipartisan vote on Tuesday approved a trillion-dollar infrastructure package, something considered by experts an important victory for President Joe Biden and his government agenda.
According to The New York Times, the plan could set in motion the largest expansion of the federal safety net in nearly six decades, although it will face opposition from the Republicans, who oppose the measure because, according to them, it could launch an unprecedented spending wave that might ruin the nation’s finances and economy.
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