“These are not normal times in America, and they should not be treated as such,” said Senator Booker.
U.S. Senator Cory Booker, D-N.J., launched a marathon speech on the U.S. Senate floor on Monday evening in protest of several actions taken by President Donald Trump and his administration, vowing to go for hours into the night. As of Tuesday morning, Booker has stood on the Senate floor for 12 hours.
Evoking the legacy of the late U.S. Congressman John R. Lewis, Booker quoted the civil rights icon: “He said, get in good trouble, necessary trouble. Help redeem the soul of America.” He added, “Tonight I rise with the intention of getting in some good trouble — I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able.”
The 55-year-old senator called out many of the Trump administration’s actions, including mass firings of federal workers and regulators, massive budget cuts, trade wars with foreign allies that have caused stock market concerns and Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Department of Education. Booker also expressed concerns about American seniors relying on Social Security whose services have been “undermined” and “told that there will be no one there to answer if you call for help” due to budget cuts. He said seniors have grown “worried and panicked because of the menacing words of their president [and] of the most wealthy person in the world,” in reference to Trump’s senior advisor and head of the agency DOGE, Elon Musk.
Booker said the country was in a state of “crisis” due to the Trump administration’s actions and referenced the outrage and worry he has received from New Jersey constituents, who, he stressed, were both Democrats and Republicans.
“The president of the United States has inflicted so much harm on American safety, financial stability, the core foundations of our democracy,” said Booker. “These are not normal times in America, and they should not be treated as such.”
Booker’s marathon Senate speech comes as Democrats face criticisms for not fighting hard enough in opposition to the Trump White House and the Republican Party. It is also timely, as the Senate is set to begin working on a massive spending bill packed with Trump’s agenda to overhaul the tax code and extend his 2017 tax law, as well as border security investments and energy policy.
Senator Booker’s talk-a-thon is not unprecedented. Other lawmakers have also stood on the Senate floor for hours in protest of legislative work. Former Senator Strom Thurmond, a segregationist from South Carolina, holds the Senate record for longest solo speech. Thurmond unsuccessfully tried to filibuster the Civil Rights Act of 1957. It lasted for 24 hours and 18 minutes.
You can watch Senator Booker’s marathon speech below.
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