[ワシントン １６日 ロイター] – US President Biden signed a $430 billion “inflation control bill” into law on the 16th. In addition to measures to combat climate change, which is said to be one of the largest in the history of the United States, the bill includes drug price cuts and some corporate tax hikes.
“In this historic moment, Democrats stand by the American people and all Republicans stand by special interests,” Biden said at the signing ceremony. He criticized the opposition Republican Party, saying, “Everyone in the Republican Party voted against the election.”
Democrats point out that the law will help curb inflation by reducing the budget deficit. Credit rating agencies and independent economists expect a similar effect, but say it will take years to see results.
The event, held at the White House, was also attended by Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat who has blocked passage of the very large appropriations bill that the Biden administration has pushed so far. This time, his failure to rebel allowed the bill to pass in the Senate, where the Democratic and Republican parties are evenly divided. “It’s a balanced bill,” Manchin said.
Republicans, on the other hand, argued that the bill would do little to curb inflation.
“Democrats stole money from the American people last year and plunged the U.S. economy into record inflation. He said the anti-inflation bill would be counterproductive to the U.S. economy, leading to higher taxes and higher energy costs.