Senator Cory Booker Delivers Overnight Speech on Senate Floor to Counter Trump’s Agenda
The speech delivered by the New Jersey senator ranks among the longest in Senate history.
Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) has been conducting a marathon address on the Senate floor, opposing President Donald Trump’s policies.
As of the time of publication, the speech has exceeded 17 hours and addresses various topics.
Booker’s address is known as a filibuster and is one of the longest recorded in Senate history.
There is currently no limit on how long Senators may speak during Senate sessions.
A total of 60 votes are required to conclude a filibuster. With the GOP holding 53 seats in the Senate, they would need to enlist seven Democrats to cease Booker’s address.
Related Stories
The record for the longest speech belongs to former Senator Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.), who delivered over 24 hours of remarks against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
Throughout his speech, Booker received support from Democratic colleagues, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who spoke in turns.
Prior to starting his address, Booker asserted that he is “not gonna stop speaking” nor will he cease standing.
To commence his speech, Booker stated that Trump has “inflicted so much harm on Americans’ safety, financial stability, the core foundations of our democracy, and even our aspirations as a people for, from our highest offices, a sense of common decency.”
“The threats to the American people and American democracy are grave and urgent, and we all must do more to stand against them,” he added.
The White House responded to Booker’s speech with criticism.
“Cory Booker is seeking another ‘I am Spartacus’ moment, but that was ineffective during his failed presidential campaign, just as it did not succeed in blocking President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh,” White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields commented to The Epoch Times.
Fields referenced Booker’s release of private records concerning Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he was evaluated by the Senate in 2018, an action that constituted a breach of Senate Judiciary Committee regulations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
