House Minority Leader 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 Representative Nancy Pelosi in 2018 that held the report for the longest steady House speech in trendy historical past.

“Personally I didn’t think I could go this long,” Mr. McCarthy stated towards the tip of his monologue, which started after Eight p.m. Finally, after 5 a.m., he completed. “With that, Madam Speaker, I yield back,” he stated.

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 debate over the invoice had been scheduled to final 20 minutes earlier than Mr. McCarthy took over to ship an at instances rambling speech filled with Republican speaking factors towards the laws and punctuated with riffs about historical past.

“I know some of you are mad at me, think I spoke too long,” he stated at one level. “But I’ve had enough. America has had enough.”

Shortly after midnight Friday, when Mr. McCarthy confirmed no signal of yielding management of the House ground, Democratic leaders despatched lawmakers residence, with plans to return at 8 a.m. to end debate and vote on the sprawling package.

While the House has no equal to the Senate filibuster, Mr. McCarthy used the so-called magic minute rule, which permits the House speaker, the bulk chief and the minority chief to discuss for so long as they need. Ms. Pelosi used the tactic when she was minority chief in 2018 to communicate for simply over eight hours in regards to the younger undocumented immigrants referred to as Dreamers.

The speech by Ms. Pelosi was thought at the time to have set the report for the longest steady speech within the chamber, courting to a minimum of 1909.

“It is a feat of epic proportions to speak for four hours straight and not produce a single memorable phrase, original insight or even a joke,” Representative Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, wrote on Twitter. “McCarthy thinks he is a wit but so far he has proved he is only half right.”





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