Eric Cantor to deliver economic speech at Harvard Kennedy School

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) will deliver remarks on the economy Thursday night at the Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics in Cambridge, Mass.

In his speech, titled "We Are a Nation at a Crossroads," Cantor is slated to broadly outline the Republican vision for growing the economy and the choices facing the country on a number of issues including federal spending, trade, tax reform and financial regulatory reform, according to John Murray, Cantor's deputy chief of staff.

Cantor's message will be two-fold. He will focus on the "two divergent paths" facing the country when it comes to the role of government, and he will also discuss "what has happened to the notion of a 'fair shot' in America," Murray said.

The speech, which is open to Harvard undergraduates and graduate students, will be followed by a question-and-answer session. The entire session can be viewed online here beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern on Thursday.

The speech comes as leaders in both chambers are doing battle over keeping the federal government funded. The resolution currently funding the government is set to expire on March 4; if Congress doesn't act before then, a shutdown could ensue.

Senate Democrats have said they will push for a 30-day extension of funding at current levels until both chambers can agree to a longer-term extension. House Republicans have rejected that idea and insist that any stop-gap measure must include spending cuts.