Democrats vow passage of social policy bill as Republican leader derails planned vote

Democrats will vote on the Build Back Better plan Friday after Kevin McCarthy furiously railed against it

House Democrats have vowed to vote on Friday on an expansive domestic policy package that would overhaul large swaths of the American economy, after the Republican minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, derailed a vote planned for Thursday evening with a rambling, hours-long speech.

After months of fits and starts, gridlock and intra-party warring, Democrats had been on the verge of passing the centerpiece of Joe Biden's economic vision on Thursday. But final passage of the measure was ultimately delayed by McCarthy, who used his leadership privileges to rail furiously against the legislation, the administration and the Democratic party in an overnight speech that lasted an extraordinary 8.5 hours.