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Peoria, Ill — Central Illinois’ representatives in Congress offer starkly different reactions to the advance of the Biden “Build Back Better” agenda in Washington.
The nearly $2 trillion bill passed the House today on a narrow 220-213 vote and promises a wide range of government support for housing, healthcare, early education and other programs as well as an expansion of the Child Tax Credit.
Republican Darin LaHood said this week the bill, “pushes us to the brink of becoming a welfare state.”
He said, “this bill is not paid for…and will only bankrupt our children and grandchildren.”
LaHood also takes issue with several specific provisions, including funding for a program that will allow the IRS to better enforce the tax code. LaHood says it’s a slippery slope and more than just wealthy American families will be impacted by the change.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the the bill will raise federal budget deficits by $367 billion over 10 years, but also says that additional revenues from improved IRS tax collections could generate a net increase in revenues of $127 billion through 2031.
On the other side, Illinois Democrat Cheri Bustos cheered the bill saying, “our nation will enjoy the dividends for years to come.”
In a statement issued Friday, Bustos said, “The Build Back Better Act is more than a bill – it is an investment in American families.”
She continued, “This legacy legislation will create millions of jobs for working- and middle-class Americans while building a foundation for families to be successful.”
Once passed by the House, the bill would be sent back to the Senate, where centrist Democrats have raised concerns about its size and some of its programs.
The legislation follows the $1 trillion infrastructure investment bill that Biden signed into law this week – two key pillars of the Democratic president’s domestic agenda – and a separate $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that passed in March.
(Contributions by Susan Heavey, Katharine Jackson, Richard Cowan; Editing by Scott Malone, Alex Richardson and Jonathan Oatis)
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