House Democrats delay vote on massive spending bill

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer tells CNN the House will come back at 8 a.m. ET on Friday.

Democrats had been hoping to pass the legislation Thursday evening, but House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy has so far brought action to a halt for more than three hours by delivering a lengthy speech railing against Democrats on the House floor.

“He wants to do it in the dead of night. We are going to do it in the day," Hoyer told CNN referring to when McCarthy wants the bill to be passed.

Hoyer also told CNN that he only knows of one Democratic defection, Jared Golden of Maine. Hoyer says they have the votes to pass the legislation.

The sweeping $1.9 trillion economic legislation stands as a key pillar of Biden's domestic agenda. It would deliver on long-standing Democratic priorities by dramatically expanding social services for Americans, working to mitigate the climate crisis, increasing access to health care and delivering aid to families and children.

Once the legislation passes the House, it will face key hurdles in the Senate, with a fight looming over a controversial tax provision and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia still not on board.

CNN's Clare Foran and Morgan Rimmer contributed reporting to this post. 

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy has been speaking for longer than three hours, and it's unclear when he will stop.

McCarthy started speaking at 8:38 p.m. ET.

Under the procedures of the House, the majority leader and the minority leader get what's called a "Magic Minute" at the end of floor debate. That means lawmakers can speak for as long as they want.

McCarthy has been railing on all aspects of the Democratic Party and the Biden administration, delaying the final vote of the Build Back Better Act.

Some context: Nancy Pelosi, as minority leader in 2018, employed a similar tactic, speaking for more than eight hours on the House floor in a speech about young undocumented immigrants. Her speech was the longest in House history.

Based on the Congressional Budget Office's analysis, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates the cost of the Build Back Better bill is $2.4 trillion and would add $160 billion to deficits over the next decade and $750 billion to deficits over the next five years.

Where things stand on Capitol Hill: House Democrats are gearing up to pass President Biden's plan to dramatically expand the social safety net with leadership racing to secure a legislative victory for the party even as major obstacles await in the Senate.

Democrats had been waiting for cost estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office before voting on the legislation after moderates demanded the information.

CBO released its final scoring for the bill early Thursday evening, estimating that the package "would result in a net increase in the deficit totaling $367 billion over the 2022-2031 period, not counting any additional revenue that may be generated by additional funding for tax enforcement," according to a summary released.

The White House is now trying to make the case that the bill will be fully paid for, despite the CBO analysis showing a shortfall.

CNN's Clare Foran and Morgan Rimmer contributed reporting to this post. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s press office has called House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's nearly two-hour floor speech a “temper tantrum” tonight in a statement.

"House Democrats are preparing to pass landmark legislation to lower costs, fight inflation and make big corporations and the wealthiest pay their fair share. But McCarthy is welcome to keep getting facts wrong on the House Floor," Pelosi's office said.

Democrats continue to interrupt House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, while he has been speaking for more than an hour ahead on the vote on the Build Back Better Act.

McCarthy suggested that since Democrats are so comfortable removing members from committees — such as GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar — that those who continue to interrupt his speech should be removed from the House floor.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, has now been talking for more than an hour.

Under the rules, he is allowed to speak for an unlimited amount of time before a vote can be held on the Build Back Better Act.

Moderate Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine is a “no” on Build Back Better, according to the Bangor Daily News.

“Many of my colleagues argue this major line item is worth accepting to pass the rest of the bill,” Golden said in a statement, according to the paper. “I disagree: the SALT giveaway in the Build Back Better Act is larger than the child care, pre-K, healthcare or senior care provisions of the bill.”

Golden also told the paper that Thursday’s vote was not “the final word,” adding, “I will continue to stay at the table and negotiate for the best deal possible until the very last opportunity.” 

Democrats can afford to lose a total of three votes. Golden is so far the only official no vote.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, is currently giving a long speech on the floor to delay when the House can vote on Build Back Better Act.

Some Democrats jeered McCarthy and said, “That’s all right. I got all night.”

The group of Democrats responded “so do we,” adding on Build Back Better, ”we’ve been waiting for this a long time.”

Rep. Kurt Schrader, a Democrat from Oregon, tweeted that he will vote for the Build Back Better Act tonight.

“I will vote for the Build Back Better Act tonight. I am confident moving this legislation forward is the best decision for Oregon families, businesses and our economy. I look forward to working with the Senate to further improve the bill to deliver these investments to our state," Schrader said.

Read the tweet: