(RepublicanInformer.com)- On Friday, in a 220-213 vote, House Democrats narrowly passed President Biden’s nearly $2 trillion “Build Back Better” spending bill despite an official warning from the CBO that it would add $367 billion to the nation’s deficit.
Not one Republican voted for the monster bill that some economists estimate could in reality cost as much as $4 trillion.
When the bill passed, Democrat lawmakers cheered and chanted “Build Back Better.” Their effusive response echoed the gleeful delight Democrats felt when they rammed Obamacare through in 2010 which lead to their crippling defeat in the midterms.
But there was some bipartisanship in Friday’s vote. One Democrat defied Speaker Nancy Pelosi and voted with the Republicans in rejecting the bill.
Maine Democrat Jared Golden announced Thursday night that he would not be voting for the massive spending bill. In a statement to the Bangor Daily News, Golden cited the tax rule change put in the bill that would largely benefit the rich, saying that the Democrats could have done better.
House Democrats slipped in a repeal of the SALT cap put in place in the 2018 tax reform bill signed by President Trump. This SALT cap deprived wealthy blue state residents of claiming their property taxes as a deduction on their federal income tax return.
Golden objected to the plan calling it “the SALT tax giveaway.” In his statement, Golden argued that the amount of money this SALT cap repeal gives to the wealthy is more than what is being spent on child care, “universal pre-K,” and other giveaways in the BBB plan.
In other words, Golden didn’t vote No because he objects to Congress ramming through the single largest spending bill in the history of the country. He objects because they’re giving the “rich” a break while not spending enough for all their “free” goodies.
Meanwhile, not one of the so-called “moderate” Democrats who claimed to be concerned about whether the bill was “paid for” voted no, despite the CBO scoring showing that it isn’t paid for.
The bill now goes to the Senate. And if Joe Manchin caves and the Senate passes the bill, it will then go back to the House for a final vote. In his statement, Golden said if it passes the Senate, he isn’t ruling out voting Yes when it returns to the House.
