United States President Joe Biden on Saturday welcomed the adoption of his vast infrastructure investment plan, "a colossal step forward" wrested after months of laborious negotiations.
He affirmed that he would promulgate this law “soon”, for an amount of 1,200 billion dollars, which received the final endorsement of the US Congress on Friday evening, with the support of the vast majority of Democrats but also of a handful of Republicans.
"To all those at home who feel abandoned and left behind in an economy which changes so rapidly: this law is for you", launched the Democratic president, assuring that the jobs thus created "will not require University diploma ".
He also pledged to have Congress vote on the social and ecological aspect of his ambitious reform projects, still blocked by the divisions of his Democratic camp.
"I will be clear: we will pass it to the House of Representatives and we will pass it to the Senate", he hammered, considering that the bill "Build Back Better", or "rebuild better", for an amount of approximately $ 1,750 billion, would be “a historic investment”.
Asked about the reasons for such confidence, Joe Biden replied, with a smile: "Me".
One of the most ambitious plans in modern American history
It took 218 votes for Democrats to pass this $ 1.2 trillion (around € 1,045 billion) plan to modernize roads, bridges, high-speed internet and considered one of the most ambitious in the world. modern American history.
They obtained 228 to 206, thanks to the contribution of a few Republican votes, and the approval of the law was greeted by a round of applause.
The president will only have to sign it for it to come into force.
Joe Biden, who urgently needs to relaunch his presidency, hoped Friday morning to advance two major texts in the House of Representatives, the equivalent of the National Assembly: this investment plan and a vast program to overhaul the system of social protection and the fight against global warming valued at 1,750 billion dollars (approximately 1,520 billion euros). In total, this corresponds to expenditure of 3 trillion over a decade, or approximately 2,600 billion euros. The Democratic leaders had to give up a vote of approval of the second text, the centrist wing of the party demanding clarification of the costing. The moderate and progressive fringes of the party finally agreed on a procedural vote to start the parliamentary process.
By adopting the only infrastructure program on Friday night, Democrats are saving furniture despite the deep divisions running through their party. Joe Biden, faced with a decline in popularity a year before the mid-term parliamentary elections, assured that his vast social program should for his part be voted on by the House in the week of November 15 at the latest, before the Senate do not grab it. The latter notably provides for nursery school for all, a profound improvement in health coverage and significant investments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ie a real redefinition of the welfare state in the United States.
But it is the subject of very difficult negotiations within the Democratic Party, between the left wing and the moderate camp.
Throughout the day, the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has tried to get her troops in working order, and to garner support for the president's plans.
"The program that we are putting forward is innovative, historic, and that is what makes it a challenge," she said in a letter to the Democrats, as if to explain these internal quarrels between elected officials of the party.
Very narrow majority in the Senate
The progressive wing of the Democratic Party has repeatedly warned that it will not support the text on infrastructure without a guarantee of the passage of the social and climate component of Joe Biden. Some elected Democrats thus joined the Republicans in voting "no" to the adoption of the plan. Biden's trips to the Capitol, breakfasts with elected officials ... The White House, the seat of the American presidency, has spared no efforts in recent weeks to garner support. Because the US executive repeats it over and over again: the president's spending programs are very popular with Americans. However, the Democrats will call into play in a year their narrow majority in Congress during parliamentary elections of mid-term, always perilous for the presidents in place.
Mais Joe Biden, qui a vanté durant la campagne présidentielle ses talents de négociateur du fait de sa longue carrière de sénateur, bute sur ces querelles intestines. Et le président n’est pas au bout de ses peines. S’il obtient après la mi-novembre le feu vert des élus à la Chambre, son grand volet social devra encore être approuvé au Sénat, où il risque d’être significativement retouché. Son sort est plus particulièrement entre les mains d’un élu de Virginie-Occidentale, le sénateur Joe Manchin, qui dit craindre que le plan ne creuse davantage la dette publique et n’alimente l’inflation. Dès vendredi soir, il a cependant salué l’adoption du texte sur les infrastructures, un investissement inédit « depuis trois décennies ». Au vu de la très fine majorité démocrate au Sénat, il possède virtuellement un droit de veto sur les projets présidentiels.