Kevin McCarthy said in an hours-long floor speech that no one elected Biden to be FDR, prompting AOC to shout 'I did!'

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Kevin McCarthy said in an hours-long floor speech that no one elected Biden to be FDR, prompting AOC to shout 'I did!'
Rep. Kevin McCarthy; Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images; J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo
  • Rep. Kevin McCarthy gave a speech on Thursday to stall a House vote on the social spending bill.
  • During the speech, McCarthy said no one elected President Joe Biden to be FDR.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez chimed in during House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy's more than three-hour speech on the House floor on Thursday night ahead of a vote on the Democrats' social spending bill.

During his speech, which was ongoing at the time of publication, McCarthy, a Republican from California, quoted a recent remark made by Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger.

"Nobody elected Joe Biden to be FDR," McCarthy said, referencing President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and drawing a comparison between President Joe Biden's sweeping legislation and FDR's transformative New Deal.

Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive Democrat from New York, audibly shouted, "I did!"

MSNBC's Kyle Griffin recounted Ocasio-Cortez's response to McCarthy, which she retweeted.

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The $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act is a social spending bill that includes funds for universal preschool, child tax credits, and the expansion of Medicare, among other items.

Senate Democrats plan to use reconciliation to pass the bill, which means it could pass without the support of any Republicans.

McCarthy's speech on Thursday night delayed the vote on the bill in the House. If it passes, the bill will head to the Senate for a vote, where it could still fail if any moderate Democrat votes against it.

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