The House passed the bill, known as the Moving Forward Act, in a 233-188 vote, almost entirely down party lines. The bill includes funds for roads, bridges and transit systems, clean energy projects, low-income schools, public housing and hospitals.
The bill would modernize “the nation’s health care infrastructure by investing $30 billion to upgrade hospitals to increase capacity and strengthen care, help community health centers respond to COVID-19 and future public health emergencies, improve clinical laboratory infrastructure, support the Indian Health Service’s infrastructure, and increase capacity for community-based care,” states a fact sheet for the bill.
The green measures included in the bill, which would require states to set targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, have sparked the most debate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has not expressed interest in bringing the bill to the Senate floor, and President Donald Trump said the bill is “full of wasteful ‘Green New Deal’ initiatives,” according to The Hill.
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