House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Sunday declared the Biden administration is proving that “big government socialism isn’t working.”
In an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” McCarthy — who last week delivered an 8-hour, 32-minute attack on the Build Back Better Bill, delaying a vote on it — the longest speech in House-floor history — said the lessons from a year of “one-party rule” are clear.
“What we really found was … big government socialism isn't working,” he said. “It is not working when we have the highest inflation in 31 years. These gas prices — the big government cripples American industry but begs OPEC and Russia to produce more. When our military is focused on woke-ism instead of defeating and winning and keeping up with China. We watched our attorney general now in a big government socialism, turns and goes after parents. … that's what drove me to keep talking [against the Build Back Better bill]. So the American people could understand.”
McCarthy began his epic Nov. 19 speech noting, “If I sound angry, I am.”
“I’m just getting geared up, go just sit,” he said several hours later. At another point, he said, “I know you don’t like me, but that’s OK.”
The speech, however, didn’t stop the advance of the nearly $2 trillion social spending bill, which was approved early Friday.
On Sunday McCarthy stood firm.
“We know that the president and the Democrats have been lying to us all along, saying the bill was paid for,” he said. “Even if you listen to the chief of staff who would brag that this bill is bigger than the New Deal, that they are spending more than America spent to win World War II. But why? For bigger government. This is what happens when you have one-party rule.”
The legislation is among the most expensive in years — and is similarly astounding in its reach, It rewrites tax, health care, environment, education, housing and other policies, shoring up low- and middle-income families, helping the elderly and combating climate change.
McCarthy suggested there’ll be a price to pay for Democrats as well.
“I wonder if [House] Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi [D-Calif.] will even be here,” he speculated.
“She acts like a lame-duck Speaker,” he said. “She seems like she is on a farewell tour.”
According to McCarthy Democrats “know that they are going to lose the majority” in the House.
“They know what their policies have done to America and they know by voting what they just did that they are trying to lock in,” he said.
He then recounted how he was heckled during his speech by Rep.. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
“AOC yelled at me from the back of the room when I quoted Rep. [Abigail] Spanberger [D-Va.], who said we did not elect Joe Biden to be FDR to give us a New Deal. AOC screamed ‘I did.,’” he said.
“It's a socialist wing of the Democratic Party that have taken over,” McCarthy said. “Never before in American history has a bill so big gone through. That's the worst part about it simply does not work when the government of the majority party wants to hire 87,000 new IRS agents to pay for this bill,” he added referring to the Biden plan to add more agents.
“If you think they're just going after millionaires, you are wrong. Anyone who spends $28 a day,” he claimed. “The IRS is going to be spying on what you are doing.”
Ironically, McCarthy noted, he planned a much shorter speech.
"I had a speech that I had been working on for a while. It probably would've taken me 45 minutes to give that speech at the longest,” he said.
“But when I got onto the floor, what was so interesting was how bad they were fighting back with every word I would say. I know back home you can't really hear it or see it when you're on the floor you can.”
“What's interesting, it was AOC and [Ohio Democratic Rep] Tim Ryan those are the ones that would yell the loudest. Tim Ryan used to be the alternative to Nancy Pelosi who partnered to become this big government socialism,” he charged.
“They would scream from the other side trying to shut me down. Then you watch the Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, come on and tap every Democrat to leave the chamber, thinking I would stop.
“And that's what I said to the American public. You can leave, that's okay, I'm not going to stop. I'm not there for the Democrats. I was there for the American public and I'm still there for the American public because this bill, if it passes it won't be the same.”
But McCarthy was equally as certain the measure would be changed as it goes through its Senate review.
And then, he said, “It's going to come back to the House. We can defeat it.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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