Sen. Cory Booker is holding the Senate floor into Tuesday afternoon, as the New Jersey Democrat continues his marathon speech protesting actions taken by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The Democratic senator vowed Monday evening that he would keep going as long as he was “physically able,” continuing his remarks through the night. As of noon Tuesday, he had spoken for more than 17 hours, having begun at 7 p.m. ET Monday.
Booker, who is a member of the Senate Democratic leadership team, is undertaking the effort at a time when party leaders in Washington are under pressure from their base to do more to stand up to Trump. He has castigated Trump’s efforts with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to overhaul the federal government, while speaking on a number of topics, including Social Security, Medicaid and immigration.
“I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able,” Booker said at the outset of his remarks. “I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our country is in crisis.”
“In just 71 days, the president of the United States has inflicted so much harm on Americans’ safety; financial stability; the core foundations of our democracy,” Booker said. “These are not normal times in America. And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate.”
Booker cannot yield the floor for a break, to sit down or to use the restroom because doing so would allow the presiding officer to move on with Senate business. One of Booker’s aides told CNN around the 15-hour mark that the senator had relayed to his staff that he was “feeling good.”
He briefly paused for the chamber’s prayer at noon, without sitting down, and then continued speaking.
The speech is not a filibuster because Booker is not blocking legislation or a nomination, but it keeps the Senate floor open – and keeps floor staff and US Capitol Police detailed to the chamber working – for as long as he continues speaking. Lawmakers had concluded voting on Monday before he began his remarks.
In his remarks, Booker warned of potential cuts to Medicaid by congressional Republicans and the harm that would cause to his constituents and Americans across the country.
Republicans have insisted that they will not cut Medicaid, but have said they will go after waste, fraud and abuse and have proposed deep spending cuts – without specifying exactly what programs the cuts could come from – as part of their legislative agenda.
At one point, Booker invoked the late Sen. John McCain, reflecting on the Arizona Republican’s pivotal health care vote in 2017, and drawing parallels to this moment.
“It is maddening in this country to create greater and greater health care crisis and for us not to solve it but to battle back and forth between trying to make incremental changes or to tear it all down with no plan to make it better, leaving more Americans suffering,” Booker said.
Loudly raising his voice and speaking with emotion, Booker said, “Sen. McCain, I know you wouldn’t sanction this, I know you would be screaming, I’ve seen how angry you can get, John McCain. I’ve seen you tear people apart on this floor, Democrat and Republican, for doing the same stupid thing over and over again. Listen to John McCain explain why he voted ‘no’ the last time the Republican Party tried to unite and tear down health care with no idea how to fix it, threatening to put millions of Americans in financial crisis and health care crisis. I can’t believe we are here again.”
As he spoke, Booker took questions at various points from Senate Democratic colleagues, allowing him to take brief breaks. Per Senate procedure, when Booker yielded for a question, he was able to stop speaking without losing the floor.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was the first to pose a question to his New Jersey colleague, and he praised Booker for his “strength and conviction.”
“You’re taking the floor tonight to bring up all these inequities that will hurt people, that will so hurt the middle class, that will so hurt poor people, that will hurt America, hurt our fiscal conditions, as you document,” the New York Democrat said. “Just give us a little inkling of the strength — give us a little feeling for the strength and conviction that drive you to do this unusual taking of the floor for a long time to let the people know how bad these things are going to be.”
Booker then yielded to Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester for further questions, noting that before he began speaking, the Delaware Democrat prayed with him on the Senate floor.
“My sister came over and prayed with me that I could stand for a long time, because she knew what we were trying to do, which was to try to create with who we serve, with John Lewis-type good trouble in this institution, to not do things normal,” he said, adding that Blunt Rochester had “asked God to give me words of love today.”
In recent years, the chamber has seen a number of marathon speeches mounted by senators, including: Jeff Merkley against Neil Gorsuch in 2017; Chris Murphy on gun control in 2016; Rand Paul over National Security Agency surveillance programs in 2015; and Ted Cruz against the Affordable Care Act 2013.
Cruz, whose 2013 speech lasted 21 hours, said his advice for Booker was simply: “Wear comfortable shoes and don’t drink water.”
The late Strom Thurmond holds the record for the longest speech when he spoke on the floor for 24 hours and 18 minutes to oppose the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
Booker invoked Thurmond on Tuesday.
“You think we got civil rights one day because Strom Thurmond — after filibustering for 24 hours — you think we got civil rights because he came to the floor one day and said, ‘I’ve seen the light.’ No, we got civil rights because people marched for it, sweat for it and John Lewis bled for it,” Booker said, referring to the late civil rights leader and longtime congressman John Lewis.
This story and headline have been updated with additional developments Tuesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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