Joe Biden’s ambitious plan for families and the environment remained blocked in Congress on Friday, depriving the US president of a success he hoped for before the start of COP26 on climate in Glasgow.
The vast plan baptized "Build Back Better" (rebuild better) is a campaign promise to transform education, health and the fight against climate change in a decade.
"I know we have a historical economic framework"Biden said Thursday in an address to the nation from the White House, shortly after meeting with Democratic leaders in Congress to try to strike deals within his own party and win approval of the plan, joined by another. infrastructure.
"It is a framework that will create millions of jobs, grow the economy, invest in our nation and our people, turn the climate crisis into an opportunity, and set us on a path not only to compete, but to win economic competition for the 21st century. against China and all the other major countries in the world", he assured.
The Democrats who control the lower house will have to study the 2,500 pages of the plan in the next few days.
But it will be too late for Biden, who was aiming to arrive at the international climate summit in Glasgow on Monday displaying the parliamentary ratification of "the most significant investment to face the climate crisis, beyond any other advanced nation in the world", as noted.
The climate chapter of the plan foresees the investment of 550,000 million dollars to reduce by 2030 greenhouse emissions from 50 to 52% over 2005 levels, a commitment that Biden assumed when returning to his country to the Paris climate agreement after the departure resolved by his predecessor Donald Trump.
"Huge step forward"
The plan includes tax benefits for individuals who switch to clean energy with the use of solar panels, wind energy, or electric vehicles, as well as for companies, to promote the use of green energy.
It is "a huge step forward in meeting President Biden’s climate goals"Sheldon Kimber, from the specialist firm Intersect Power, congratulated himself.
"But to achieve them, a collective will, a social consensus and the mobilization of the government and the private sector will be necessary.", he summarized, while wishing that Congress "find the will to vote" the official package.
The law "Build Back Better" It has been the subject of difficult negotiations among Democrats for months, with differences between moderates and progressives on the total amount of the package and the scope of the reforms.
Biden cut his ambitions in half and brought the bill to $ 1.75 trillion in 10 years. The infrastructure plan adds another 1.2 trillion.
Reality
Biden’s concessions fell badly on the party’s left wing, in favor of more ambitious reforms.
These representatives block the adoption of the infrastructure law, approved in August by the Senate, because they want to vote the two texts together since they consider them "part of the same program".
For Biden, these two laws will largely determine his legacy and in particular the outcome of the 2022 midterm parliamentary elections.
"House and Senate majorities as well as my presidency will be determined by what will happen next week"Biden said when meeting with MPs on Thursday, according to The New York Times.
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