Will he set the record?
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker took to the Senate floor Monday evening saying he would remain there as long as he was “physically able.” More than 21 hours later, the 55-year-old senator, a former football tight end, was plainly exhausted but still going into Tuesday evening.
“These are not normal times in our nation," Booker said at the start of his speech. “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.”
WATCH BOOKER'S SPEECH IN THE PLAYER ABOVE
Pacing, then at times leaning on his podium, Booker highlighted Democrats' objections to President Donald Trump's agenda. He railed against cuts to Social Security offices led by Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and spoke to concerns that broader cuts to the social safety net could be coming, though Republican lawmakers say the program won't be touched.
As his speech rolled into Tuesday afternoon, Booker got some help from Democratic colleagues, who gave him a break from speaking to ask him a question. Booker said he would yield for questions but would not give up the Senate floor. He stayed standing to comply with Senate rules.
As Booker stood for hour after hour, he appeared to have nothing more than a couple glasses of water to sustain him.
“I shall not complain,” Booker said with a laugh after one colleague asked how he was doing Tuesday afternoon.
According to the Senate's website, the record for the longest individual speech belongs to Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, who filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
As it rolled past 19 hours, Booker’s speech marked the fifth longest in Senate history. Only one other sitting senator has spoken for longer. In 2013, Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican of Texas, held the floor for 21 hours and 19 minutes to contest the Affordable Care Act.
Booker repeatedly invoked Thurmond and the civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis of Georgia on Tuesday morning, arguing that changing history would require the public to get involved, and more than just talking.
“You think we got civil rights one day because Strom Thurmond — after filibustering for 24 hours — you think we got civil rights because he came to the floor one day and said, ‘I’ve seen the light,’” Booker said. ”No, we got civil rights because people marched for it, sweat for it and John Lewis bled for it."
Booker’s speech was not a filibuster, which is a speech meant to halt the advance of a specific piece of legislation. Instead, Booker’s performance was a broader critique of Trump’s agenda, meant to hold up the Senate’s business and draw attention to what Democrats are doing to contest the president.
