Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who blocked the package with Manchin last year, announced her support for the new law a few days ago. This was extremely important, since the Democrats might not afford a single dissenter given the wafer-thin majority in the Senate. “The road has been long, difficult and winding,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said shortly before the vote.
After Senate approval, the bill goes back to the House of Representatives next week, where Democrats hold a narrow majority. A few months before the congressional midterm elections in November, passing the law, even in its slimmed down version, would be a great success for the president and his party.