House to vote on Biden’s social spending plan
WASHINGTON — House Democrats plan to vote late Thursday on a sweeping measure to strengthen the nation’s social safety net programs and begin to respond to the climate crisis, a sorely needed show of progress for President Biden’s legislative agenda even as it faces more hurdles.
The expected vote comes after months of delays and negotiation between House Democratic moderates and progressives, Senate Democrats and the White House. During that time, the total price tag was halved to roughly $1.7 trillion and some of its most progressive policies were cut or trimmed to win the support of centrists.
Still, the social spending bill — which they call Build Back Better — would advance numerous priorities that progressives have been promising their voters for years, including expanding Medicare coverage to include hearing aids, allowing the federal government to negotiate a small number of Medicare drug prices, implementing universal preschool for 3-
