House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday broke the record for the longest floor speech in House history under the “magic minute” rule when he spoke for an extraordinary 8 hours and 44 minutes.
His speech was believed to have been an attempt to delay a vote on President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill.
New Yorker Jeffries’ speech exceeded the previous record of eight hours and 32 minutes held by then-Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
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According to Bloomberg, Jeffries began his filibuster-style speech just before 5 am, turning the House chamber into a stage for fiery rhetoric. He continued his remarks, including reading letters from Republicans’ constituents, well beyond his expected runtime. His speech ended at 1:37 pm.
“This reckless Republican budget is an immoral document,” Jeffries said from his podium on the floor. “This legislation will end Medicaid as we know it,” he said at another point.
A filibuster in the House
{{/usCountry}}“This reckless Republican budget is an immoral document,” Jeffries said from his podium on the floor. “This legislation will end Medicaid as we know it,” he said at another point.
A filibuster in the House
{{/usCountry}}While the Senate is famous for filibusters, the House has its own version: the “magic minute.” Under this magic minute rule, party leaders get unlimited speaking time and can speak as long as they don’t yield the floor.
The use of a “magic minute,” which allows the leader to speak as long as he can continuously, is a common tactic of the minority.
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Jeffries’ remarks are now the third-longest of their kind in House history, replacing Democrat Champ Clark’s five-hour and 15-minute magic minute in 1909.
A delay tactic?
Though Jeffries’ marathon speech didn’t block the bill, as Republicans still expect it to reach Trump’s desk by Friday, it significantly disrupted the day’s schedule and forced GOP leaders to contend with hours of unexpected delay.
Jeffries teased Republicans at multiple points by indicating he may be ready to yield the floor soon but then saying, “I’m still here to take my sweet time.”
The delays frustrated GOP leaders who had no way to stop Jeffries, although the speech was unlikely to impact plans to have the bill ready for President Donald Trump to sign on Friday.
Republicans themselves delayed final action for hours overnight as they wrangled the votes needed to advance it.