2 Days Out: President Biden Has Announced His Framework For The Build Back Better Act, Now It’s Up To Congress To Get It Over The Finish Line
It is now two days until the UN Conference of Parties on Climate, COP26. Yesterday, the White House announced the highly anticipated $1.75 trillion framework for the Build Back Better Act (BBBA)—this reconciliation bill, if passed into law, would be the largest-ever investment in climate action in American history. However, the job of Congress is not done yet, both the BBBA and the bipartisan infrastructure bill should be passed in tandem. With these investments in place, the United States would be well positioned to meet President Biden’s climate commitments and to help realize climate action across the international community.
“The BBBA’s investments in climate would be the largest in American history, but they will only be historic if Congress gets this bill across the finish line,” said Evergreen Action Executive Director Jamal Raad. “Congressional leadership must continue to work expeditiously in the coming days to pass the BBBA into law as soon as possible, and climate champions in Congress must continue to ensure that the bipartisan bill is not advanced until the BBBA is also ready. With a concrete reconciliation plan in hand, President Biden is now equipped to show the world that the United States is back in the fight to defeat the climate crisis. Now, it’s up to Congress to get the job done.”
Earlier this year, President Biden pledged to cut domestic greenhouse gas pollution at least 50% below 2005 levels by 2030—an ambitious target that he can hit only with bold and immediate legislative action. The BBBA as currently written would make a massive and essential contribution toward realizing the Biden administration’s commitment When both the BBBA and the bipartisan bill advance together and are signed into law, President Biden can and must turn to using more aggressive executive action to ensure full climate pollution reductions across each sector of the economy.
