Sen. Cory Booker (D-NY) held the Senate floor overnight and through this morning as he delivered a marathon speech to protest Trump administration policies.
As of 9:30 a.m. ET, Booker had spoken for 14 1/2 hours, interrupted only when fellow Democrats would pose questions to him and give him short breaks to rest his vocal cords.
“If you ask the question, are you better off than you were 71 days ago, not many Americans would say they are better off,” Booker said this morning, his voice still clear.
The purpose of the speech was to draw attention, and Booker did get coverage on cable network morning shows.
Before he started at 7 p.m. ET, Booker said that he was speaking “because Donald Trump and Elon Musk have shown a complete disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution, and the needs of the American people.”
Booker’s speech covered a range of topics. He warned that Trump would cut Medicaid. He decried the president’s attacks on law firms. He blasted the administration for siding with Russia in a UN vote. He also quoted from others, including Margaret Chase Smith and John Lewis.
Depending on how long he speaks, Booker could disrupt Senate business today.
Strom Thurmond, senator from South Carolina, holds the record for longest speech on the Senate floor: 24 hours, 18 minutes, to protest the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
