(Photo : Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 06: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a press conference in the State Dinning Room at the White House on November 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. The President is speaking after his Infrastructure bill was finally passed in the House of Representatives after negotiations with lawmakers on Capitol Hill went late into the night.
Joe Biden is confident that they will be able to pass the controversial Build Back Better bill during the week of Nov. 15 after progressives and centrist Democrats passed the infrastructure bill.
According to reports, the decision came after weeks of rigorous discussions and disagreements. But it wouldn't have been made possible if the progressives didn't agree to pass the bipartisan physical infrastructure bill and if the centrists didn't agree on voting for the Build Back Better bill.
Progressives and centrist Democrats are in agreement
The agreement between Rep. Josh Gottheimer and Rep. Pramila Jayapal was announced moments before a decision on the infrastructure bill was announced.
But in order for the Democrats to pass the Build Back Better bill, they first need to pass the legislation in the House before it heads to the Senate. It is in the latter that Democrats will face their biggest hurdle - Sen. Joe Manchin.
All Democrats need to vote in favor of the bill if they want its approval. And even the skeptical group of Democrats said that they will support Biden's $1.75 trillion Build Back Better legislation.
In their joint statement, Gottheimer, Florida's Stephanie Murphy, Hawaii's Ed Case, Oregon's Kurt Schrader, and New York's Kathleen Rice said that they are committed to voting for the legislation in its current form.
Progressives, on the other hand, insisted on the Senate passage first. But they later agreed for a compromise after centrists vowed that both the infrastructure bill and the Build Back Better legislation will be passed.
"As part of this agreement, at the request of the President, and to ensure we pass both bills through the House, progressives will advance the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the House rule on Build Back Better tonight," Jayapal said via NBC News.
Joe Biden confident Build Back Better bill will be approved
After passing the infrastructure bill, Biden released a statement saying that he's confident Build Back Better will also be approved sometime next week. He also described the legislation as a once-in-a-generation investment in the American people.
The bill proposes to provide universal preschool for all 3-year-old and 4-year-old kids. It also proposes the capping of childcare costs at 7 percent income for parents earning up to 250 percent of a state's median income.
Build Back Better bill will also provide parents with four weeks of federal paid parental, sick, or caregiver leave. There will also be a $35 per month limit on the cost of insulin under Medicare, as well as a cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs at $2,000 per year, according to CNBC.
Joe Manchin still Build Back Better bill's biggest hurdle
But ever since Biden proposed the Build Back Better bill, his biggest hurdle has been Manchin. Last week, the senator stalled the progress on the legislation by saying that he needs more time to consider a $1.75 trillion framework.
Manchin also said that he wants to wait for the Congressional Budget Office to evaluate the Build Back Better Act and estimate the fiscal impact of its various tax and spending components, according to the Huffington Post.
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