The Build Back Better Act, often referred to as the Build Back Better (BBB) initiative, was a proposed major infrastructure and social spending bill introduced in the 117th United States Congress during the 117th session (2021-2023). It aimed to fulfill key aspects of President Joe Biden's Build Back Better Plan, addressing infrastructure, climate change, social policy, healthcare, education, and economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally envisioned as a $3.5 trillion Democratic reconciliation package over 10 years, it was spun off from the broader American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan, focusing on provisions related to climate change mitigation, social policy, healthcare, education, and economic relief. The bill included investments in physical infrastructure like roads and bridges (complementing the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act), universal preschool for three- and four-year-olds ($390 billion total for child care and preschool initiatives), expanded child care, Medicare enhancements for hearing services (with dental and vision coverage removed due to objections), affordable housing, nutrition security for children, and home-based care for seniors and disabled individuals ($150 billion). It emphasized climate action through incentives for clean energy and consumer incentives, domestic manufacturing in sectors like solar and wind, creation of a Civilian Climate Corps through AmeriCorps ($15.22 billion), workforce development programs for green jobs ($4.28 billion), and measures to address community violence and trauma ($2.5 billion). The bill proposed tax reforms to raise revenue, such as a 15% minimum tax on large corporations and surcharges on high-income earners, while extending the expanded child tax credit and lowering costs for childcare, housing, and healthcare. After intense negotiations, the bill's price was reduced to approximately $2.2 trillion, and it passed the House of Representatives on November 19, 2021, by a vote of 220-213 along party lines. However, it faced significant opposition in the Senate, particularly from Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), leading to its failure to advance amid fiscal concerns, Senate Parliamentarian reviews, and lack of negotiations, with its de facto failure by early 2022. Critics, including some Republicans and fiscal watchdogs like the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, argued it would increase the deficit by around $200 billion over a decade and exacerbate inflation, while supporters from labor unions and progressive groups highlighted its potential to create millions of jobs in manufacturing, construction, caregiving, and the green economy. Key components were later incorporated into subsequent legislation, with H.R. 5376—originally introduced as the Build Back Better Act—being overhauled in 2022 and renamed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. This evolved version, signed into law by President Biden on August 16, 2022, is a U.S. federal law investing $369 billion in clean energy, climate mitigation, and environmental justice programs, and it retained elements like drug price negotiations (drawing from bills such as H.R. 3 and S. 4011) and climate investments but scaled back social spending provisions. The original Build Back Better Act represented a bold attempt at transformative domestic policy, drawing from the strategy of 'Building Back Better' as a concept for post-disaster resilience dating back to 2005, and it highlighted partisan divides and the challenges of passing ambitious legislation via reconciliation, though it influenced subsequent policy on energy transition, rural development, and social safety nets.