Adam Schiff Calls Kevin McCarthy 'Worst Orator in the World'

Rep. Adam Schiff suggested that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is "the worst orator in the world" as the Republican delivered a marathon speech on the House floor.

McCarthy spoke in opposition to the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act for more than eight-and-a-half hours, ending just after 5 a.m. on Friday and setting a new record for the longest speech on the House floor.

Schiff, a Democrat who represents California's 28th congressional district, posted on Twitter late on Thursday—a couple of hours into McCarthy's speech—to criticize the minority leader.

"If you took the worst orator in the world," Schiff wrote. "Gave him the worst speech in the world And made him read it for the longest time in the world That would be a lot like listening to Kevin McCarthy tonight.

"Except, probably better."

McCarthy's speech, which forced Democrats to delay a vote on the Build Back Better legislation, broke the previous record set by Nancy Pelosi in 2018, which stood at eight hours and seven minutes. Pelosi, now Speaker of the House, was minority leader when she delivered her oration about young, undocumented migrants.

McCarthy and Pelosi were able to hold the floor for hours thanks to a House procedure known as the "magic minute." This permits the majority and minority leaders to speak for as long as they want at the end of a floor debate.

The Republican, who represents California's 23rd district, criticized the cost of the Build Back Better Act, which focuses on infrastructure and social spending.

"Let me be clear: never in American history has so much been spent at one time—at one time," McCarthy said. "Never in American history will so many taxes be raised and so much borrowing to be needed to pay for all this reckless spending."

Schiff is not the only Democratic lawmaker to poke fun at McCarthy. Several tweeted jokes about the Republican's remarks and Pelosi issued a statement on Thursday calling his speech a "temper tantrum."

The Speaker's statement read: "Minority Leader McCarthy did everything he could to avoid talking about the deficit-reducing, inflation-crushing Build Back Better Act. But he did make unhinged claims about what the American people 'don't want and need.'" She went on to cite surveys that found a majority of Americans supported some of the bill's measures, including reductions in drug and health care prices, and universal pre-K.

The delayed vote on the Build Back Better Act may now take place on Friday morning. The bill has proven divisive within the Democratic Party, however, and there is still no guarantee it will win the necessary support to pass the Senate.