November 10, 2021- The bipartisan infrastructure bill which passed late last week will reportedly be signed into law by President Biden on Monday, November 15.
Some groups advocating for business interests supported the bill, while others opposed it. And some voted against it for other reasons. Here is the breakdown of who supported, who opposed, and why.
Who SUPPORTED the bipartisan infrastructure and tax increase bill?
President Joe Biden - President Joe Biden obviously wanted the bill. "I'm asking every member of the House of Representatives to vote yes on both these bills right now,” Biden said during remarks from the White House. “Send the infrastructure bill to my desk, send the Build Back Better bill to the Senate. Let's build on incredible economic progress, build on what we've already done because this will be such a boost when it occurs.”
19 Senate Republicans - The bill passed the U.S. Senate with the support of 19 Senate Republicans, including Missouri's Sen. Roy Blunt and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Sen. Josh Hawley, also representing Missouri, voted against the bill.
13 House Republicans - The bill passed on a vote of 228-206. Thirteen House Republicans voted with all but six Democrats, including Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City, in supporting the measure. Had those 13 Republicans voted against the bill and all Democrats would have voted as they voted on the bill, the vote would have been 215-219 and the bill would have failed. According to an article in The Hill, the 13 House Republicans who voted for this bill are now being labeled as traitors by fellow House Republicans because they "voted to help Biden screw America," and they “handed over their voting cards to Nancy Pelosi to pass Joe Biden’s Communist takeover of America via so-called infrastructure.”
The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) - Even though the organization issued a statement opposing the $14.5 billion tax increase on chemicals in the bill on August 4, 2021, the NAM president and CEO Jay Timmons issued a statement in support of the final bill which included the tax increase. In a separate release, the organization said, "The NAM has championed many of the provisions in the package and is working to drive them across the finish line in Congress and on to President Biden’s desk." The release then documents the infrastructure investments in the bill and the $156.5 billion in spending related to "tackling climate change."
Who OPPOSED the bipartisan infrastructure and tax increase bill?
Associated Industries of Missouri - We told you in August and again on November 5 before the bill was passed that we opposed reimposing the $14.5 billion tax on chemicals, many of which are used by manufacturers. "If the bill had been amended to reduce some of the spending on climate change, the onerous tax increase could have been removed without impacting the bottom line of the bill which, by the way, is still NOT paid for," said Ray McCarty, president and CEO of Associated Industries of Missouri.
All Missouri House Republicans - All Missouri House Republicans voted against the infrastructure and tax increase bill.
Missouri Democrat Cori Bush - Congresswoman Cori Bush voted against the bill for a different reason. “A vote in favor of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act alone would have jeopardized our leverage to improve the livelihood of our health care workers, our children, our caregivers, our seniors, and the future of our environment,” Bush said in a statement following the vote. “That’s why I joined several of my close colleagues in standing firm behind our promise to our districts and the American people that we will not leave our communities behind."
Attention now turns to the linked bill: Biden's Build Back Better Act. That bill contains many tax increases, including a tax on crude oil - see our article on that massive tax and spend bill HERE and stay tuned for updates. The bill is still in the House, although a framework for rules in debating the bill has already been adopted in the House.
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