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McCarthy derails Dem plans to vote on social spending bill on Thursday

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“Kevin McCarthy has now shown more anger about making child care affordable than he has been about the January 6 insurgency,” Representative Mondaire Jones tweeted (DN.Y .).

Thursday’s vote timing has always been viewed by some as a Thanksgiving miracle, given that many Democrats started the day doubtful that the $ 1.7 trillion legislation would be completed in time for its final passage. But two approvals came late in the day – with key moderate resistance appearing optimistic in private – allowing President Nancy Pelosi and her team to move ahead sooner than some caucus members had anticipated.

Democrats didn’t expect McCarthy’s lengthy speech – touching everything from his desire to own a Tesla to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln at the Los Angeles Police Department – to derail their most elaborate plans . This week marks the third time Democrats have attempted to introduce their marquee bill in recent weeks. But this time it was the leader of the GOP, not their own warring factions, who turned their moment upside down.

“Two parts of the story that I would have liked to be a part of. I wish I could have been in Tiananmen Square and I wish I could have been there to tear down the Berlin Wall, ”McCarthy said at one point during the rambling speech. He later added that he received his booster earlier today and may have a “little headache now”.

Meanwhile, Pelosi’s office emailed a press release with the subject line: “Is Kevin McCarthy okay?” “

Without tools to stop McCarthy’s speech, Democrats instead resorted to mocking the leader of the GOP, tweet simple lines and post a video comment on Instagram Live as midnight approaches. Rep Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) Tweeted, “I have to admit Kevin McCarthy has accomplished one thing. America is no longer awake. “

Representative Grace Meng (DN.Y.) retorted in response: “I gave birth to a baby in less time.”

Other Democrats have been more vocal in their heckling – “Go on, no one is listening,” Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) yelled at McCarthy from across the chamber of the House. Others made fun of the Republican leader.

McCarthy finally spoke for eight hours and 32 minutes, concluding his remarks shortly after 5 a.m. on Friday. “This evening has shown that no matter the time, day or circumstance, House Republicans will always fight for you, fight for your family, and fight for your country. With that, Madam Speaker, I will yield.

McCarthy’s remarks broke the record for the longest continuous speech in the House, narrowly surpassing Pelosi’s eight-hour, six-minute speech on immigration in 2018.

McCarthy’s speech – and Democrats’ voluminous social media response – was an odd turning point for a day that, until then, seemed mostly to be on track for Pelosi and his team.

Earlier today, the non-partisan congressional marker provided all data requested by moderates to vote, after initially predicting they would not complete their analysis until Friday. Democrats also lifted another key hurdle on Thursday, receiving the necessary approval from the Senate parliamentarian who ensures the bill will not violate filibuster protections when moved to the upper house.

The Congressional Budget Office’s prediction that the program will add $ 367 billion to the deficit over a decade is the crucial data point the majority party has been waiting for since moderate Democrats earlier this month refused to pass the plan without official price.

But that number doesn’t include the potential revenue generated by the increased enforcement of the IRS, which means the impact on the federal budget gap could be even smaller. Taking into account this possible cash surplus, the increase in the deficit could total around $ 160 billion over 10 years. The White House, meanwhile, insists the IRS app will generate even more revenue, ensuring the bill is actually fully paid.

CBO also found that the Democrats’ planned Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare and home health care expansions are roughly funded by other provisions designed to curb the drug price spike – including the repeal of a remission of the Trump administration drugs that never went into effect.

The cost of packaging is certain to change in the upper room. Hundreds of billions of dollars in policies such as paid holidays and immigration are subject to change or abolishment amid resistance from lawmakers and scrutiny from the Senate parliamentarian, who judges which provisions are compatible with the rules of the upper house.

“We wonder what the point is, don’t we? Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (DR.I.) spoke of the House race for a cost estimate. “I think at the end of the day it’s important to price what we’re going to do. ”

Until McCarthy’s turn, Democrats had seen decidedly low drama this week compared to months of tense clashes between the progressive and centrist wings of the party.

Instead, much of lawmakers ‘attention has been focused elsewhere, primarily on successful Democrats’ efforts to censor Representative Paul Gosar. for a cartoon video he posted that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

But Democrats are now eager to grab the headlines. This week’s crucial vote on Biden’s plan to extend the safety net, which limits eight months of infighting, is yet another chance for party leaders to push for a bill they see as widely popular.

The House approved the bipartisan $ 550 billion infrastructure bill earlier this month, a key demand from the moderates. Biden signed this legislation on Monday.

Between that and the final cost of the bill on hand, Senior Democrats now believe they will gain enough dissent. It is possible that the Democrats will only lose one vote on their side, Golden of Maine, who has continued to complain about certain provisions of the bill, such as a tax break that would benefit the wealthy.

Republicans have refined this provision – pressure from Democrats to raise the cap on state and local tax deductions, known as the SALT relief – as a powerful political attack. While the effort will bring relief to the middle class in states with high property taxes, analysts say it will also be a big tax cut for the rich, undermining the Democrats’ message. to “make the rich pay their fair share”.

When the House does finally vote, it will be one of the biggest congressional bills in history: an estimated $ 1.75 trillion measure that touches everything from universal pre-K to healthcare subsidies. health care for low-income Americans; and climate change initiatives. And with that comes high political stakes, with Democrats embracing Biden’s agenda as they defend their dangerously thin majority as they approach midterms.

Alice Miranda Ollstein, Jennifer Scholtes, Burgess Everett and Quint Forgey contributed to this report.