Jeffries Sets Record In Speech Delaying Vote on Trump Bill (3)

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries broke the record for the House’s longest “magic minute” floor speech Thursday, using his unlimited speaking privileges to drag House Republicans’ megabill vote hours past the intended schedule.

New Yorker Jeffries’ speech passed the previous record held by then-Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) of eight hours and 32 minutes. Not only did Jeffries’ rambling remarks delay President Donald Trump’s tax bill vote — they also brought his criticisms of the GOP agenda onto the most popular morning news shows.

The minority leader began speaking in opposition to the bill before 5 a.m. and continued his remarks, including reading letters from Republicans’ constituents, well beyond his expected hour runtime. His speech ended at 1:37 p.m.

“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.

Johnson mocked the lengthy remarks in his much shorter speech before the vote, saying, “it takes a lot longer to build a lie than to tell the simple truth.” House Democrats at some points jeered at the speaker while he defended the party-line reconciliation bill as a win for working Americans.

The delays frustrated GOP leaders who have no way to stop Jeffries, although the speech is unlikely to impact plans to have the bill ready for President Donald Trump to sign Friday. Republicans themselves delayed final action for hours overnight as they wrangled the votes needed to advance it.

The minority leader’s 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. Democrats hope Clark’s speech becomes a historical echo — the then-leader used his time to speak against a tariff bill that divided Republicans and led to Democrats retaking the House.

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.

Jeffries at multiple points teased Republicans by indicating he may be ready to yield the floor soon, but then saying, “I’m still here to take my sweet time.”

House Republicans largely emptied the chamber when it became apparent that Jeffries’ speech wouldn’t end soon. Some remained and had to be asked to quiet conversations on multiple occasions as Jeffries slowly laid out his case against the megabill.

Vice President JD Vance tweeted around 8 a.m. that one House Republican switched from “undecided” to “yes” because of Jeffries’ “performance.”

Democrats have used procedural delays and prolonged floor speeches repeatedly to push back against Republicans this Congress. It’s among their only options with the GOP controlling Capitol Hill and the White House.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) earlier this year broke the record of the longest-ever Senate floor speech, taking more than 25 hours to oppose the Trump administration. Jeffries watched parts of Booker’s Senate speech and later held a 12-hour sit-in with the New Jersey senator on the Capitol steps.