House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has surpassed the record for the longest floor speech as the chamber considers President Trump's tax and spending cut bill.
The stemwinder began at 4:53 a.m. EDT and has touched an array of subjects, including the reading of letters from Americans who rely on government programs such as Medicaid and SNAP.
Jeffries, in his 8 hour and 44 minute speech, said the bill "steals" from those programmes to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy.
The speech took on the air of a Sunday church service air as it extended into its eighth hour and he began citing passages from the Bible.
"Take your time," "Take your sweet time," colleagues replied as he spoke.
"Shame on this institution if this bill passes," he said.
There’s no filibuster in the House, but Jeffries essentially conducted one anyway.
Jeffries is taking his "sweet time" with a marathon floor speech that has given his minority party a lengthy spotlight to excoriate what he called an "immoral" bill.
As Democratic leader, Jeffries can speak for as long as he wants during debate on legislation — hence its nickname on Capitol Hill, the "magic minute," that lasts as long as leaders are speaking.
Previous record
The previous record set by then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in 2021, when he was the GOP leader.
McCarthy spoke for 8 hours, 32 minutes when he angrily criticised Democrats' "Build Back Better" legislation, breaking a record set by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., when she spoke about immigration for 8 hours, 7 minutes in 2018.
The speech pushed a final vote on Republican President Donald Trump's tax bill, initially expected in the early morning, into the daylight hours.
He also killed time by riffing on hip-hop, King George III and his own life story, among other diversions.
He called out Republicans who have voiced concerns about the bill, read stories from people concerned about their health care from those GOP lawmakers’ districts and praised his own members, some of whom sat behind him and cheered, clapped, laughed and joined hands.
Jeffries sneaked small bites of food and drank liquids to boost his energy, but did not leave the chamber or his podium.
The speech would be over if he did.
Democrats were powerless to stop the huge bill, which Republicans are passing by using an obscure budget procedure that bypasses the Senate filibuster.
So they were using the powers they do have, mostly to delay. In the Senate, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York forced Senate clerks to read the bill for almost 16 hours over the weekend.
Senator Cory Booker, D-N.J., similarly gained attention in April when he spoke for more than 25 hours on the Senate floor and broke the record for the longest continuous Senate floor speech in the chamber’s history.
Booker was assisted by fellow Democrats who gave him a break from speaking by asking him questions on the Senate floor, but Jeffries' "magic minute" did not allow for any interaction with other members.
Republicans who were sitting on the floor when Jeffries started trickled out, leaving half the chamber empty. And as they anxiously awaited their vote, some mocked him on social media.
