Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey officially broke the record for the longest speech ever delivered in the Senate last Monday at 25 hours and four minutes. Booker broke a record held for almost 70 years by Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC), while he was still a Democrat and protesting against the Civil Rights Act.
Booker’s efforts were in symbolic protest against President Donald Trump, in which he warned of a “grave and urgent” moment in American history.
“These are not normal times in our nation,” Booker said at the beginning of his speech Monday evening. “And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate. And we all must do more to stand against them.”
He also talked about cuts made to Social Security by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, listing the impacts of Trump’s early executive actions and spoke to potential action which could be taken to make broader cuts to the social safety net affecting programs like healthcare, housing and more.
Booker said he would speak as long as he was physically able, starting at 7 p.m. EST and concluding at 9:06 p.m. EST Tuesday. In order to fill time, Booker, the fourth-ranking Democrat in the chamber, allowed questions and read letters from members of the Senate who said they had been harmed by the president’s policies. He also discussed non-political matters such as discussing sports and reciting poetry.
According to Senate rule, Booker had to remain standing and when yielding for questions from his constituents, made sure to read a line stating that he would not give up the floor ensuring he did not accidentally end his speech.
By definition, the speech wasn’t considered a filibuster – a speech which is designed to obstruct passage of a proposed bill – however, it still completed its intended purpose, holding up legislation in the Senate in which Republicans have the majority.
Booker, who is African-American, talked about Thurmond, a segregationist holding the record and his roots as a descendant of slaves and slave-owners.
“I’m here despite his speech,” said Booker, “I’m here because as powerful as he was, the people are more powerful.”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the first Black party leader in Congress, attended the Senate chamber to watch Booker on Tuesday calling it “an incredibly powerful moment” pointing to the significance of Booker breaking Thurmunds’ record and saying that Booker was “fighting to preserve the American way of life and our democracy.”
Despite the significance of the moment, Booker made sure to center his speech on the Democratic and Republican parties alike working together to combat the current administration’s efforts, saying, “We all must look in the mirror and say, ‘We will do better.’”
