Sen. Bernie Sanders shot down the Democrats’ massive climate and health care bill Saturday night, as senators tried to pass a key piece of Biden’s economic agenda after more than a year of debate. “I want to take a moment to say a few words about the so-called deflationary act that we’re debating this afternoon,” Sanders said shortly after Democrats joined the debate on the proposal. “I say so because according to the CBO and other economic organizations that have studied this bill, it will actually have little impact on inflation.” For much of the week, Sanders has torn apart the $740 billion proposal brokered by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin, which would invest millions in green energy, lower some prescription drug prices and impose a minimum 15 percent tax on large companies. Sanders’ mention of the CBO, or Congressional Budget Office, is a nod to the nonpartisan rater’s finding that the proposal is negligible, at least for the foreseeable future, NPR previously reported. Independent Vermont plans to introduce amendments to change the bill, such as a measure that would authorize Medicare to pay an amount equal to the Department of Veterans Affairs for prescription drugs. Sanders later stood alone as both Democrats and Republicans rejected his amendment to limit costs for covered prescription drugs under Medicare Parts B and D by a vote of 99 to 1. Both Georgia Democrats, Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, later joined Sanders in an amendment that would have Medicare cover dental, vision and hearing benefits. But once again, the Vermont senator’s effort failed by a lopsided vote, this time 3 to 97. Republicans have used the CBO’s findings as fodder to criticize the Democrats’ proposal. Some have previously used Sanders’ precise approach of referring to the proposal as the “so-called deflationary act.” “I don’t find myself saying that very often. But on this point, I agree with Bernie,” Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate, told Insider. Sanders has bristled at items dropped from Biden’s larger “Build Back Better” agenda to promote compromise, including universal pre-K, tuition-free community college and home care for the elderly. The Vermont senator and former presidential candidate added that the legislation contains “good features,” but also criticized the inclusion of a drug pricing provision that would take years to roll out. He later called it an “incredibly tepid bill.” Sanders also gutted provisions in the bill that would have expanded fossil fuel exploration, an addition that helped secure Manchin’s support. Sanders pressed Democratic senators to address “the major crises facing working families” during his speech. “If we can’t do that, not only will people continue to hurt and suffer, but in my opinion, it’s questionable how long we will remain a democracy,” he said on Saturday. Sen. Ron Wyden, who helped write the legislation as chairman of the powerful Finance Committee, said he shared Sanders’ hope for a bill that went further in many areas. But especially on drug pricing, Wyden argued that the bill still makes significant strides. “I said I’d like to do more myself, faster — there’s no question that those are my roots,” Wyden told reporters, adding that when faced with “between inaction and that, for me it’s not a close call . “
