On Monday, Democrat Cory Booker kicked off a marathon speech on the Senate floor, saying he will speak as long as he is “physically able” to protest President Donald Trump’s agenda.
“In just 71 days, the president has inflicted harm after harm on Americans’ safety; financial stability; the foundations of our democracy; and any sense of common decency,” Booker said. “These are not normal times in our nation. And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate.”
Booker’s intent is to continue his speech for more than 15 hours, surpassing his previous record, which dates back to 2016, as well as to raise the visibility of the opposition. The senator plans to address various issues, including the Republicans’ proposed tax cuts, the punitive effects of Trump’s tariffs, and the importance of protecting welfare programs such as Medicaid and Social Security.
Republicans have insisted that they will not eliminate Medicaid, but have said they will fight waste, fraud and abuse, but without specifying which programs will be affected by the cuts.
“I rise tonight because to be silent at this moment of national crisis would be a betrayal, and because at stake in this moment is nothing less than everything that makes us who we are,” the Democratic senator further said.
Later, Booker invoked GOP Senator John McCain, who died in 2018, stating: “Senator McCain, I know you wouldn’t sanction this, I know you would be screaming, I’ve seen how angry you can get, John McCain. I’ve seen you tear people apart on this floor, Democrat and Republican, for doing the same stupid thing over and over again. Listen to John McCain explain why he voted ‘no’ the last time the Republican Party tried to unite and tear down health care with no idea how to fix it, threatening to put millions of Americans in financial crisis and health care crisis. I can’t believe we are here again.”
Booker was recently elected to the top rungs of Democratic leadership, taking the No. 4 position as chairman of the Strategic Communications Committee. Part of his job is to help his caucus gain visibility and traction in the media.
His marathon speech, in that sense, indicates that Democrats know they need to experiment with new tactics to get attention in a Washington DC dominated by Trump and his loyalists.
