Photo: DANIEL SLIM / AFP / Getty Images
The House of Representatives , with a Democratic majority, had announced that it would two landmark votes on Friday: the one on the $ 1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and the vote on the revised $ 1 social spending bill. 75 trillions, two economic plans that are key to the President’s Administration Biden , which thus sets out to transform America’s dilapidated transportation network and expand the social safety net t
However, after weeks of debates and disagreements that have repeatedly modified those projects. what was beaten this Friday was a record of a seven-hour vote , the longest in its history, that did not serve to advance the plans of the Democratic legislators in Congress or the agenda by President Joe Biden.
The Lower House began its session this Friday at 8 a.m. 00 am local time. However, at 8. 13 am, the Republicans introduced a motion to end the session and, although they knew it was going to fail, they thus achieved significant delays.
“We are going to use all the instruments that are at our disposal to save the United States from the radical proposals of the Democrats,” he stated bluntly in a press conference the leader of the Republican minority in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy.
Voting ended seven hours later around 3 o’clock. 17 pm and then the Democrats began the debate.
Normally, this type of voting lasts one hour, not seven.
The previous record for the longest US vote spanned nearly three hours and occurred on 22 November 2003, when Republicans had a majority in the Lower House and under the George W. Bush government (2001 – 2009).
Throughout the day, the Democrats also changed their plans. At first, were determined to pass the infrastructure bill at the same time in the Lower House , which already received the approval of the Senate in August, and Biden’s social plan, which includes increases in spending on health, childcare and climate change, among other issues.
However, some centrist legislators opposed passing Biden’s social plan considering it too expensive and threatened to vote against If you do not have an official and detailed estimate of your cost in hand this Friday.
The Speaker of the Lower House, Nancy Pelosi, relented and on Friday afternoon announced that its objective is to achieve approval of the infrastructure plan and begin the debate on the plan. social, instead of approving it , an idea that was immediately rejected by the progressive wing of the party.
Biden’s agenda has been stuck in Congress for months due to disagreements between the wing progressive of the Democrats, who prioritize the social plan, and the centrist sector, which gives more importance to infrastructure and opposes some of the policies that are included in the social aid package.
With information from EFE