Democrat delivers longest House floor speech to delay vote on Trump's ‘big, beautiful bill'
'Shame on this institution if this bill passes,' Jeffries said, as Democrats chanted shame. 'We are better than this.'
In a fiery speech now lasting eight hours and 44 minutes, Jeffries has used the House's 'magic minute' rule — a tradition allowing party leaders unlimited speaking time — to delay the vote and attack the bill's deep cuts to healthcare and welfare programs.
'We are going to continue as Democrats to take our sweet time on behalf of the American people because the issues are too significant to ever walk away from,' Jeffries declared to cheers.
He urged moderate Republicans to defect, saying: 'Join us! Just four, y'all. We welcome you.'
Jeffries has labelled the bill a 'crime scene' that takes a 'chainsaw' to Medicare, Medicaid, food assistance and other social safety nets. Surrounded by binders of personal testimonies, he's been reading stories of Americans who could lose healthcare, nutrition support and vital benefits.
'People will die. Tens of thousands, perhaps year after year after year, as a result of the Republican assault on the healthcare of the American people.'
The final vote is expected late Thursday or early Friday, after a night of behind-the-scenes pressure from Trump himself. The former president reportedly made dozens of calls to GOP lawmakers, and lashed out on Truth Social:
'What are the Republicans waiting for??? What are you trying to prove??? MAGA IS NOT HAPPY, AND IT'S COSTING YOU VOTES!!!'
Despite internal Republican concerns about the bill's impact on the national debt and working-class Americans, House Speaker Mike Johnson remained upbeat, crediting Trump's 'personal involvement' for progress.
Jeffries who took the floor just before 5 am Thursday, broke the record of Kevin McCarthy's 2021 record of 8 hours and 32 minutes.
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'If such a situation arises, China will firmly strike back to protect its own legitimate rights and interests,' she added, repeating a familiar warning. Olson cautioned against relying too much on the US-Vietnam trade agreement as a blueprint for assessing Washington's approach to China. The stakes in US-China negotiations are significantly higher, shaped by strategic rivalry and a wider set of geopolitical considerations. There is also much less of a power discrepancy in the US-China discussions. 'One important takeaway for China from both the Vietnam deal and the previous deal with the UK is that the US intends to use these negotiations to apply pressure on China,' Olson said. 'This could lead China to a much more sober assessment of what it might be possible to achieve with the US in these negotiations.'
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