Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries delivered the longest speech in House history on Thursday, holding the floor for over eight hours to delay the passage of a Republican domestic policy megabill. His so-called ‘magic minute,’ a tradition allowing top party leaders unlimited speaking time, broke records set by former leaders Kevin McCarthy and Nancy Pelosi, who also served as minority leaders at the time. Jeffries began his remarks at 4:52 a.m., using the hours of speaking time to read letters from constituents who could be affected by cuts to social safety-net programs. He also singled out purple-district Republicans who are expected to support the legislation, which Democrats plan to target in next year’s midterms. This speech was seen as Democrats’ last option to slow down the megabill ahead of a final passage vote. It is expected to pass later Thursday, ahead of the GOP’s self-imposed July 4 deadline.
Jeffries emphasized the potential damage of the bill to American quality of life, stating, ‘I’m here today to make it clear that I’m going to take my time and ensure that the American people fully understand how damaging this bill will be to their quality of life.’ He added, ‘Donald Trump’s deadline may be Independence Day. That ain’t my deadline.’ This statement highlighted his determination to prolong the debate, even as the GOP moved to pass the legislation by the July 4 deadline.
Republicans largely shrugged off Jeffries’ efforts, with Speaker Mike Johnson calling the speech an ‘utter waste of everyone’s time, but that’s part of the system here.’ The House’s strict debate time limits, except for top party leaders, allowed Jeffries to speak without interruption. However, the megabill’s progression wasn’t solely stalled by Jeffries’ speech. Opposition from conservative hard-liners to Senate changes led to one procedural vote being delayed for over nine hours, breaking the House’s own record for the longest vote in history. GOP leaders pulled an all-nighter to flip lawmakers and eventually cleared the last procedural vote around 3:30 a.m., setting up Jeffries’ lengthy remarks.