Sen. Cory Booker delivered a speech for 25 hours and five minutes on the Senate floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The Senator from New Jersey expressed concerns and frustrations with President Donald Trump’s administration’s agenda. The senator urged Democrats to continue standing by the affected groups of the signed executive orders. The speech was given on the evening of March 31 at 7 p.m. and concluded on the following day.
“These are not normal times in our nation,” Booker said. “And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate. The threats to the American people and American democracy are grave and urgent, and we all must do more to stand against them.”
Booker quoted literature, song lyrics and other Senators in an attempt to “stop normal business hours” for the White House.
One of the topics discussed immensely among Booker and his colleagues was the issue of funding cuts under the direction of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency towards the Social Security offices. The Trump administration listed 47 Social Security offices that were set to close. From the 47 listed, 26 have been confirmed to close this year, with two residing in Texas.
Booker read aloud letters from his constituents and about the issue of Trump speaking on behalf of the annexation of Greenland and Canada.
He also discussed the nature of due process in the lengthy speech, quoting an interview with Canadian citizen Jasmine Mooney’s 12-day ICE detention.
“There was no explanation, no warning. One minute, I was in an immigration office talking about my work visa, which had been approved months before,” Booker read. “The next thing I [knew,] my hands were against the wall being patted down like a criminal, then sent to an ICE detention center without a chance to talk to a lawyer.”
Wanting to go longer, Booker ended his filibuster with a question from Chuck Schumer.
“Would the Senator yield for a question?” Schumer said.
This address to Congress would get Booker a world record, beating out Strom Thurmond’s 24 hour and 18 minute speech in 1957.
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