The Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries broke the record for the longest House floor speech ever on Thursday after he spoke for more than eight hours to delay a vote on Donald Trump’s signature tax-and-spending bill.
Early on Thursday, after a marathon night of arm-twisting, cajoling and pressure by tweet, House Republicans said they were finally ready to vote on Trump’s $4.5tn tax-and-spending package – a colossal piece of legislation the president wants passed by Friday, the Independence Day holiday.
Final debate on the 887-page bill began in the pre-dawn hours of Thursday morning, and Jeffries began his speech shortly before 5am, railing against the legislation he and Democrats have warned will slash social safety-net programs that millions of American families and children rely on.
Why was Jeffries allowed to speak for so long?
Jeffries used his so-called “magic minute” – a tradition that allows House leaders to speak for as long as they want after a floor debate has concluded.
In 2021, the then House Republican leader, Kevin McCarthy, spoke for a record-setting eight hours and 32 minutes, in protest of Joe Biden’s signature domestic policy legislation, which ultimately passed when he ceded the floor.
Jeffries started speaking shortly before 5am and passed McCarthy’s record at 1.26pm. His speech concluded shortly after.
What was Jeffries’ message?
Democrats are united against what they have renamed the “big ugly” bill. Jeffries spent more than eight hours sharing stories of Americans across the country who will be hurt by the bill, which he says takes a “chainsaw” to Medicare, Medicaid, nutritional assistance for hungry children and vulnerable Americans. The Democratic leader had stacks of binders next to his podium, and he read the stories of people who will lose health insurance, food assistance and other crucial benefits.
Jeffries called the bill a “crime scene”, and an “abomination” that will benefit billionaires.
“People will die. Tens of thousands, perhaps year after year after year, as a result of the Republican assault on the healthcare of the American people,” Jeffries said.
What are Republicans saying?
Republicans continue to defend Trump’s signature bill. On Wednesday night, the House speaker, Mike Johnson, was optimistic and said lawmakers had a “long, productive day” discussing the issues. He also praised Trump for making phone calls to the holdouts through the early hours of Thursday morning.
Trump spent much of Wednesday holding meetings and phone calls with skeptical Republican lawmakers.
As the rule stalled, he threatened the holdout lawmakers, writing on Truth Social: “What are the Republicans waiting for??? What are you trying to prove??? MAGA IS NOT HAPPY, AND IT’S COSTING YOU VOTES!!!”
Have Jeffries or other Democrats done this before?
Democrats are increasingly using aggressive tactics such as marathon speeches to oppose Trump’s agenda. In April, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey spoke on the Senate floor for 25 hours, earning him praise from other Democrats and voters. Later that month, Jeffries and Booker held a 12-hour sit-in on the US Capitol steps to protest Republicans’ funding plans. Billed as an “Urgent Conversation With the American People”, the livestreamed discussion included other Democratic lawmakers, such as Senator Raphael Warnock, who spoke as the sit-in passed the 10-hour mark.
