As the New Jersey Democrat keeps his marathon speech against acts done by President Donald Trump’s administration, Sen. Cory Booker is occupying the Senate floor into Tuesday afternoon.
Vowing Monday night, the Democratic senator said he would keep speaking overnight as long as he was “physically able.” Starting at 7 p.m. ET Monday, he has spoken for 19 hours as of 2 p.m. ET Tuesday.
A member of the Senate Democratic leadership team, Booker is making the effort at a time when party leaders in Washington are under pressure from their base to do more to stand up to Trump. While discussing on several subjects—including Social Security, Medicaid, and immigration—he has condemned Trump’s attempts with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to reform the federal government.
Booker stated at the beginning of his speech, “I rise with the purpose of upsetting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able.” I get up this evening out of my conviction that our nation is in crisis.
Booker stated, “In only 71 days, the president of the United States has done so much damage to the fundamental underpinnings of our democracy; financial stability; Americans’ safety. America is not in regular times. They should not be considered as such in the United States Senate.
Booker, 55, cannot give up the floor for a break, to sit down or to use the toilet as doing so would let the presiding officer continue with Senate business. About the 15-hour mark, one of Booker’s aides informed HEADLINESFOREVER that the senator had assured his team he was “feeling good.”
Without sitting down, he momentarily stopped for the chamber’s midday prayer and then carried on speaking.
Though Booker is not delaying legislation or a nomination, the speech maintains the Senate floor open and keeps floor personnel and US Capitol Police assigned to the chamber operating for as long as he speaks, thus it is not a filibuster. Before he started his comments, lawmakers had finished voting on Monday.
Warns of possible Medicaid cutbacks
Booker, in his comments, cautioned against possible Medicaid cuts by House Republicans and the damage they would inflict on his residents and Americans all around.
Though they have indicated they will pursue waste, fraud, and abuse and have suggested significant expenditure reductions as part of their legislative agenda, Republicans have maintained they will not reduce Medicaid.
Booker at one time mentioned the late Sen. John McCain, remembering the Arizona Republican’s key health care vote in 2017 and drawing analogies to now.
“Booker remarked, “It is infuriating in this nation to generate more and more health care crises and for us not to address it but to go back and forth between attempting to make incremental adjustments or to destroy it all with no strategy to improve it, leaving more Americans suffering.”
Booker, loudly increasing his voice and speaking with passion, added, “Sen. McCain, I know you wouldn’t approve this, I know you would be shouting, I’ve seen how furious you can become, John McCain. I have watched you rip both Democrat and Republican individuals on this floor for repeating the same foolish act.
Listen to John McCain explain why he voted ‘no’ the last time the Republican Party attempted to combine and destroy health care with no knowledge of how to remedy it, endangering millions of Americans’ financial situation and health care issue. I cannot believe we are back here.
Booker answered questions from Senate Democratic colleagues at different times while he talked, therefore enabling him to take short pauses. Booker was able to cease speaking per Senate protocol when he yielded for a question, thereby retaining the floor.
Democrats commend Booker’s work
As he kept talking, Booker thanked every one of his Democratic colleagues for their support and said again how much he loved them. He observed that Sen. Chris Murphy had been with him all night, a role reversal from when the Connecticut Democrat talked for 14 hour and 52 minutes following the Pulse nightclub tragedy in 2016 and Booker stuck by him.
Particularly, I want to thank Sen. Murphy as he has been with me all night. Booker remarked, “He hasn’t left my side; in some ways the debt is repaid. His debt is paid, but I’ve got fuel in the tank.”
Murphy has apparently streamlined the procedure by talking about the endeavor with senators arriving on the floor and organizing speakers to pose questions to Booker.
Many have praised Booker or, like Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz, a little hug as Democrats enter the floor. Booker has studied notes staff members given to him and, during their inquiries, has jumped from one foot to the other, changing his weight as the hours of standing wear on.
During their conversation, Booker and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer momentarily clashed over New York sports clubs, although they could both agree that they favor the Giants.
Schumer complimented Booker for his “strength and conviction” after being the first to ask his New Jersey colleague.
“As you note, New York Democrat stated, “You’re taking the floor tonight to raise all these injustices that will harm individuals, that will so harm the middle class, that will so affect poor people, that will harm America, our budgetary situation.” Just give us a tiny idea of the strength—give us a little sense for the strength and conviction that lead you to do this uncommon taking of the floor for a long period to let the people know how horrible these things are going to be.
Booker then gave way to Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester for further questions, saying the Delaware Democrat prayed with him on the Senate floor before he started speaking.
“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.”
Among the many long speeches by senators in recent years are: Jeff Merkley against Neil Gorsuch in 2017; Murphy on gun control in 2016; Rand Paul against National Security Agency surveillance activities in 2015; and Ted Cruz against the Affordable Care Act 2013.
Cruz, whose 2013 address lasted 21 hours, claimed his advise for Booker was simply, “Wear comfortable shoes and don’t drink water.”
When he spoke on the floor for 24 hours and 18 minutes to oppose the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the late Strom Thurmond set the record for the longest speech.
On Tuesday, Booker called Thurmond.
“You believe we obtained civil rights one day because Strom Thurmond came to the floor one day and said, ‘I’ve seen the light’ after filibustering for 24 hours. Booker, referring to the late civil rights icon and former congressman John Lewis, said, “No, we got civil rights because people marched for it, sweat for it and John Lewis bled for it.”