GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy spoke for over eight hours from Thursday evening into Friday morning in opposition to President Biden's Build Back Better Act.
House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., spoke for over eight hours on the floor Thursday night and into Friday morning ahead of a crucial House vote, making his final case against the President Biden social spending bill that Republicans say will cause long-term damage to the U.S. economy.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, has commandeered the House floor for more than eight hours—well into Friday morning—prompting Democrats to postpone the vote on President Biden’s spending bill until at least later Friday morning.
As of 5 a.m., McCarthy seemed no worse for the wear, and continued to rattle off stories about the time he won $5,000 in lotto as a younger man and the problems that the country faces, including inflation, migration and the lack of bipartisanship at the Capitol.
At one point the minority leader asked how President Biden can be trusted with $5 trillion after the debacle in Afghanistan.
The speech was not without some levity. McCarthy said Congress should hold "block parties" to close the divide between Democrats and Republicans. He even mentioned a potluck but said that could be hard to pull off due to inflation. The line drew a laugh from tired members who were still there at about 4:30 a.m.
His speech was official longer than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's 2018 marathon in defense of DREAMers, which was eight hours and seven minutes long. The speech ended at about 5:10 a.m.
Rep. Steny Hoyer, the Democrat majority leader, issued a statement at early Friday that said members were “advised that there are no further votes in the House tonight” and many left. McCarthy said it was unfortunate that they didn't stick around to debate and learn a little bit more about the bill and its impact on working-class Americans.
House approval was still expected on a near party-line vote. That would send the measure to a Senate where cost-cutting demands by moderate Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and that chamber’s strict rules seemed certain to force significant changes.
Sources: Tyler Olson, Fox News and Edmund DeMarche
GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy spoke for over eight hours from Thursday evening into Friday morning in opposition to President Biden's Build Back Better Act.
House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., spoke for over eight hours on the floor Thursday night and into Friday morning ahead of a crucial House vote, making his final case against the President Biden social spending bill that Republicans say will cause long-term damage to the U.S. economy.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, has commandeered the House floor for more than eight hours—well into Friday morning—prompting Democrats to postpone the vote on President Biden’s spending bill until at least later Friday morning.
As of 5 a.m., McCarthy seemed no worse for the wear, and continued to rattle off stories about the time he won $5,000 in lotto as a younger man and the problems that the country faces, including inflation, migration and the lack of bipartisanship at the Capitol.
At one point the minority leader asked how President Biden can be trusted with $5 trillion after the debacle in Afghanistan.
The speech was not without some levity. McCarthy said Congress should hold "block parties" to close the divide between Democrats and Republicans. He even mentioned a potluck but said that could be hard to pull off due to inflation. The line drew a laugh from tired members who were still there at about 4:30 a.m.
His speech was official longer than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's 2018 marathon in defense of DREAMers, which was eight hours and seven minutes long. The speech ended at about 5:10 a.m.
Rep. Steny Hoyer, the Democrat majority leader, issued a statement at early Friday that said members were “advised that there are no further votes in the House tonight” and many left. McCarthy said it was unfortunate that they didn't stick around to debate and learn a little bit more about the bill and its impact on working-class Americans.
House approval was still expected on a near party-line vote. That would send the measure to a Senate where cost-cutting demands by moderate Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and that chamber’s strict rules seemed certain to force significant changes.
Sources: Tyler Olson, Fox News and Edmund DeMarche
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