A guide to all the ways the House spending bill would affect America

Climate, taxes, immigration and other major provisions in the spending bill, explained

Updated November 19, 2021 at 9:48 a.m. EST|Published October 28, 2021 at 10:48 a.m. EDT
(Tim Boelaars for The Washington Post)
8 min

House Democrats on Friday morning passed a more than $2 trillion bill to overhaul the country’s health care, climate, education and tax laws, moving beyond months of disputes between liberals and moderates that have stalled President Biden’s economic agenda.

The legislation builds off a framework that Biden unveiled to party lawmakers and includes new spending to enhance child care, provide free prekindergarten, combat climate change and advance a slew of tax benefits that chiefly aid low-income Americans.

But the bill omits many of Democrats’ top priorities, a reflection of the party’s difficult work to scale back a package once valued at $3.5 trillion. It now moves to the Senate, where it may face further cuts.

What follows is a guide to the legislation, one of the most significant overhauls of domestic policy in generations.

What is in the Build Back

Better Act

House Democrats’ $2.4T plan for health care, climate, education and immigration

Affordable child

care $270 billion

Child tax

credit $190B

Clean energy and

climate resilience

$235B

Climate-related

tax breaks $325B

Paid family and

medical leave $205B

Universal

pre-K

$110B

Raise state and local tax

deduction cap $275B

Affordable

housing $175B

Immigration reform $110B

ACA health

insurance

premiums

$120B

Home- and

community-

based services

$150B

Other $260B

Note: Other includes spending on higher education,

the workforce, Medicare hearing and tax changes,

as well as other spending

Source: Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

ALYSSA FOWERS/THE WASHINGTON POST

What is in the Build Back Better Act

House Democrats’ $2.4 trillion plan for health care, climate, education and immigration

Affordable child

care $270 billion

Child tax

credit $190B

Clean energy and

climate resilience

$235B

Climate-related

tax breaks $325B

Paid family and

medical leave $205B

Universal

pre-K

$110B

Raise state and local tax

deduction cap $275B

Affordable housing $175B

Immigration reform $110B

ACA health

insurance

premiums

$120B

Home- and

community-

based services

$150B

Other $260B

Note: Other includes spending on higher education, the

workforce, Medicare hearing and tax changes, as well as

other spending

Source: Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

ALYSSA FOWERS/THE WASHINGTON POST

What is in the Build Back Better Act

House Democrats’ $2.4 trillion plan to address health care, climate, education and immigration

Affordable child care

$270 billion

Child tax credit

$190B

Clean energy and climate resilience

$235B

Climate-related tax breaks

$325B

Paid family and medical leave

$205B

Universal

pre-kindergarten

$110B

Raise state and local tax deduction cap

$275B

Affordable housing

$175B

Immigration

reform

$110B

Affordable Care Act

premium tax credits

$120B

Medicaid home- and

community-based services

$150B

Other

$260B

Note: Other includes spending on higher education, the workforce, Medicare hearing and tax changes,

as well as other spending

Source: Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

ALYSSA FOWERS/THE WASHINGTON POST

Biden’s Build Back Better spending bill

The latest: House Democrats passed a more than $2 trillion bill to overhaul the country’s health care, climate, education and tax laws.

What’s in it? Here’s a complete guide to what’s in the spending bill and all the ways it would affect America.

Breaking it down: The bill re-envisions the role of government in Americans’ daily lives. Here are details on each of the major parts of the plan: healthcare, taxes, child tax credit, paid family leave, early childhood education, climate change, affordable housing, eldercare, infrastructure and immigration.