Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) celebrated his final summer victory after his conference passed the Inflation Reduction Act, a scaled-back version of the Biden administration’s Build Back Better agenda and a last-minute win for Democrats.
Schumer squeezed the legislation, long feared dead due to opposition from two centrist Democratic senators, through the Senate with an all-night “vote-a-rama” and celebrated the sleepless win in a press conference Sunday afternoon. The spending plan, which focused on climate, health, and business taxation, passed with all 50 Democratic votes and Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie.
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“As you know, it’s been a long, tough, and winding road,” Schumer said at a Sunday press conference following the final vote. “At last, we’ve arrived, and we are elated. Every member of my caucus is elated about what happened, because we really would change the world in a way that you rarely get an opportunity to do that.”
He continued, adding that he was immensely proud of his caucus for sticking together to pass what he said “will endure as one of the defining feats of the 21st century,” especially regarding the climate provisions, which are the most extensive ever passed by the U.S. government.
“The Senate has now passed the most significant bill to fight the climate crisis ever, and it’s going to make a difference to my grandkids. The world will be a better place for my grandchildren because of what we did today,” Schumer said. “And that makes me feel very, very good.”
While the vitality of Democrats’ policy agenda in Congress appeared iffy for much of 2022, Schumer managed to push the CHIPS Act, approval for Sweden and Finland to join NATO, and a gun reform bill through the Senate in the past month. The IRA was the only one to pass without any bipartisan support.
“Even though I prefer to work in a bipartisan way, when it’s really important, when the Republicans won’t participate, we have to do it on our own,” he said.
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Though the IRA cost $749 billion at a time when inflation is skyrocketing and GDP output is slowing, Schumer said he was confident that increased revenue generated by the bill would reduce the budget deficit.
The Senate is in recess until Sept. 6, having passed a crucial legislative window to gain support before the November midterm elections. The majority leader said he believes his legislative victories will help his party in the midterm elections because he’s shown that “even in this tough situation, polarized 50-50, [Democrats] can actually get big things done.”
