The Inflation Reduction Act got approved by the US Senate on Sunday after hours of deliberations in the Capitol building. The vote crossed the legislative chamber on party lines, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tiebreaker.

The legislation will now be forwarded to the US House of Representatives, which is currently dominated by Democratic lawmakers. The “mega-bill” addressed sectors like climate, tax and healthcare.

Also Read: How climate groups reacted to Senate Democrats’ push of health, climate bill

VP Kamala Harris had to rush to the Senate chamber hours before the voting, increasing the tally to 51-50. All Democrats voted in favour of the bill, while all Republicans were against it.

The Senate had an overnight “vote-a-rama”, taking up back-to-back amendments. Each amendment required a vote in the Senate. The bill was negotiated by Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. 

The bill wasn’t just challenged by Republicans. Bernie Sanders, a Democrat-leaning Independent, also raised concerns about the Inflation Reduction Act and offered amendments to expand the legislation’s health benefits further. They were struck down.

The bill ran into trouble midday over objections to the new 15% corporate minimum tax that private equity firms and other industries disliked, forcing last-minute changes.

The US House of Representatives has not set a date for the vote so far, but reports suggest it can be taken up as soon as Friday this week. The bill is likely to get a clear passage in the House.

Also Read: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi looks to ‘swiftly’ pass climate and healthcare spending bill

US President Joe Biden urged the House to pass the bill as soon as possible. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said her chamber would “move swiftly to send this bill to the president’s desk.“

“The Senate is making history”, Schumer said in a press conference after the bill was passed. “I am confident the Inflation Reduction Act will endure as one of the defining legislative feats of the 21st century”, the Democrat added.