Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) launched a marathon speech on the Senate floor Tuesday evening to protest Trump administration policies and vowed to speak for “as long as I am physically able to.”
The big picture: Booker said in video posted to media ahead of his speech that began at 7pm ET that he was heading to the Senate floor because President Trump and Elon Musk “have shown a complete disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution, and the needs of the American people.”
For the record: The speech isn’t technically a filibuster because those are “designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question,” per a Senate post.
What they’re saying: “I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able,” Booker said at the start of his speech.
- “I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our country is in crisis.”
- Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment in the evening.
By the numbers: Booker has a long way to go to beat the record for the longest speech on the Senate floor, held by the late Sen. Strom Thurmond (D-S.C.), who spoke for 24 hours, 18 minutes in protest at the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
Watch Booker’s speech, via YouTube:
Flashback: Trump speech repeatedly rocked by Democratic disruptions
