Jeffries Sets Historic Modern Record For Longest House Speech/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries delivered a record-breaking floor speech protesting President Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill. Using the “magic minute,” Jeffries spoke for over seven hours, delaying a final vote. Republicans remain determined to pass the $4.5 trillion legislation before July 4th.
Quick Look
- Jeffries sets modern House record with hours-long speech
- “Magic minute” allows unlimited speaking time for leaders
- Bill includes major tax cuts, Medicaid and safety-net cuts
- Speaker Johnson insists vote will happen before July 4
- Democrats aim to give public time to weigh in
Jeffries Sets Historic Modern Record For Longest House Speech
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries set a modern record for the longest floor speech in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, delivering marathon remarks in protest of President Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill.
Launching into his speech at 4:53 a.m., the New York Democrat spoke for more than eight hours — surpassing previous records and still going as the day stretched into the afternoon. Jeffries read from two thick binders, recounting letters from Americans concerned about proposed Medicaid cuts and other provisions in the massive GOP bill.
“I never thought that I’d be on the House floor saying that this is a crime scene,” Jeffries declared. “It’s a crime scene, going after the health, and the safety, and the well-being of the American people.”
As Democratic leader, Jeffries can speak for as long as he wants during debate on legislation — hence its nickname on Capitol Hill, the “magic minute,” that lasts as long as leaders are speaking.
He began the speech at 4:53 a.m. EDT and finished at 1:37 p.m. EDT, 8 hours, 44 minutes later, breaking the record set by then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California in 2021, when he was the GOP leader. McCarthy spoke for 8 hours, 32 minutes when he angrily criticized Democrats’ “Build Back Better” legislation, breaking a record set by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., when she spoke about immigration for 8 hours, 7 minutes in 2018.
“I feel an obligation, Mr. Speaker, to stand on this House floor and take my sweet time,” Jeffries said as he opened.
Using the House’s so-called “magic minute,” which allows party leaders to speak for as long as they wish, Jeffries breaked the record set by then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in 2021. McCarthy’s eight-hour, 32-minute speech had delayed a vote on President Joe Biden’s economic plan at the time. Back then, Trump praised McCarthy for his efforts.
This reckless Republican budget is an immoral document, and that is why I stand here on the floor of the House of Representatives with my colleagues in the House Democratic caucus to stand up and push back against it with everything we have,” Jeffries said.
He ended the speech like a Sunday sermon, with most of the Democratic caucus in a tight huddle around him and colleagues calling out, “Bring it home, Hakeem!”
“We don’t work for President Donald Trump,” Jeffries said, as a handful of Republicans across the aisle sat silent and occasionally snickered at the leader as he kept talking.
He invoked the late John Lewis, a civil rights activist in the 1960s and longtime Democratic congressman from Georgia. “Get into good trouble, necessary trouble,” Jeffries said.
“We’re going to press on until victory is won,” he said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed Jeffries’ marathon speech as a “waste of time,” saying Republicans remain determined to pass Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” Johnson quipped that he hasn’t slept during the grueling overnight process but insisted, “We’ll land this plane before July 4 as I told you all we would do.”
Meanwhile, Democrats said their delay tactics were designed to give Americans a voice on the contentious legislation.
Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado accused Republicans of trying to ram the bill through without public input, saying, “They’re bypassing committee process. They have short-circuited all the things that are built into a process like this to hear from people.”
The bill in question contains $4.5 trillion in tax breaks and spending cuts, including significant reductions in Medicaid and other safety-net programs. Speaker Johnson said he expected only “one or two” GOP defections on the final vote but remained confident of passage ahead of Trump’s self-imposed July 4 deadline.
“This scene couldn’t be scripted any better,” Johnson told reporters, referring to the dramatic overnight debates and the looming holiday.
Jeffries, however, signaled he wasn’t finished speaking. “I have so many stories I feel like I’m in a hip-hop video,” he joked, hinting at more hours yet to come.
You must Register or Login to post a comment.