Home Minority Chief Kevin McCarthy of California early Friday concluded a marathon speech in opposition to the Democrats’ social coverage invoice, after speaking for eight hours and 32 minutes, surpassing one by Consultant Nancy Pelosi in 2018 that held the report for the longest steady Home speech in trendy historical past.
“Personally I didn’t assume I may go this lengthy,” Mr. McCarthy mentioned towards the tip of his monologue, which started after 8 p.m. Lastly, after 5 a.m., he completed. “With that, Madam Speaker, I yield again,” he mentioned.
Mr. McCarthy, the highest Republican, railed towards President Biden and his agenda in an effort to delay the passage of the Democrats’ $1.85 trillion social coverage and local weather change invoice.
The controversy over the invoice had been scheduled to final 20 minutes earlier than Mr. McCarthy took over to ship an at occasions rambling speech filled with Republican speaking factors towards the laws and punctuated with riffs about historical past.
“I do know a few of you’re mad at me, assume I spoke too lengthy,” he mentioned at one level. “However I’ve had sufficient. America has had sufficient.”
Shortly after midnight Friday, when Mr. McCarthy confirmed no signal of yielding management of the Home flooring, Democratic leaders despatched lawmakers residence, with plans to return at 8 a.m. to complete debate and vote on the sprawling bundle.
Whereas the Home has no equal to the Senate filibuster, Mr. McCarthy used the so-called magic minute rule, which permits the Home speaker, the bulk chief and the minority chief to speak for so long as they need. Ms. Pelosi used the tactic when she was minority chief in 2018 to talk for simply over eight hours concerning the younger undocumented immigrants referred to as Dreamers.
The speech by Ms. Pelosi was thought on the time to have set the report for the longest steady speech within the chamber, relationship to a minimum of 1909.
“It’s a feat of epic proportions to talk for 4 hours straight and never produce a single memorable phrase, unique perception or perhaps a joke,” Consultant Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, wrote on Twitter. “McCarthy thinks he’s a wit however up to now he has proved he’s solely half proper.”