Hakeem Jeffries took his ‘sweet time' holding the floor to delay President Trump's tax bill
Jeffries held the House floor for more than eight hours Thursday, taking his 'sweet time' with a marathon floor speech that delayed passage of Republicans' massive tax and spending cuts legislation and gave his minority party a lengthy spotlight to excoriate what he called an 'immoral' bill.
As Democratic leader, Jeffries can speak for as long as he wants during debate on legislation — hence its nickname on Capitol Hill, the 'magic minute,' that lasts as long as leaders are speaking.
He began the speech at 4:53 a.m. EDT and finished at 1:37 p.m. EDT, 8 hours, 44 minutes later, breaking the record set by then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California in 2021, when he was the GOP leader. McCarthy spoke for 8 hours, 32 minutes when he angrily criticized Democrats' 'Build Back Better' legislation, breaking a record set by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., when she spoke about immigration for 8 hours, 7 minutes in 2018.
'I feel an obligation, Mr. Speaker, to stand on this House floor and take my sweet time,' Jeffries said as he opened.
The speech pushed a final vote on Republican President Donald Trump's tax bill, initially expected in the early morning, into the daylight hours. The New York Democrat used the time to criticize the bill's health care and food aid cuts, tax breaks for the wealthy and rollbacks to renewable energy programs, among other parts of the bill that Democrats decry.
He also killed time by riffing on hip-hop, King George III and his own life story, among other diversions. He called out Republicans who have voiced concerns about the bill, read stories from people concerned about their health care from those GOP lawmakers' districts and praised his own members, some of whom sat behind him and cheered, clapped, laughed and joined hands.
'This reckless Republican budget is an immoral document, and that is why I stand here on the floor of the House of Representatives with my colleagues in the House Democratic caucus to stand up and push back against it with everything we have,' Jeffries said.
He ended the speech in the cadence of a Sunday sermon, with most of the Democratic caucus in a tight huddle around him. One colleague called out, 'Bring it home, Hakeem!'
'We don't work for President Donald Trump,' Jeffries said, as a handful of Republicans across the aisle sat silent and occasionally snickered at the leader as he kept talking.
He invoked the late John Lewis, a civil rights activist in the 1960s and longtime Democratic congressman from Georgia. 'Get into good trouble, necessary trouble,' Jeffries said. 'We're going to press on until victory is won.'
Jeffries sneaked small bites of food and drank liquids to boost his energy, but did not leave the chamber or his podium. The speech would be over if he did.
Democrats were powerless to stop the huge bill, which Republicans are passing by using an obscure budget procedure that bypasses the Senate filibuster. So they were using the powers they do have, mostly to delay. In the Senate, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York forced Senate clerks to read the bill for almost 16 hours over the weekend.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., similarly gained attention in April when he spoke for more than 25 hours on the Senate floor about the first months of Trump's presidency and broke the record for the longest continuous Senate floor speech in the chamber's history. Booker was assisted by fellow Democrats who gave him a break from speaking by asking him questions on the Senate floor, but Jeffries' 'magic minute' did not allow for any interaction with other members.
Republicans who were sitting on the floor when Jeffries started trickled out, leaving half the chamber empty. When the speech was over, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., called it 'a bunch of hogwash.'
The speech 'will not change the outcome that you will see very shortly,' Smith said.
After the bill passed, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said that Democrats 'wanted to speak for hours and hours and break records because they wanted to stand in the way of history.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Helen Hunt, 62, Sends a Bold Political Message With Photos Flaunting Ageless Beauty
Helen Hunt, 62, Sends a Bold Political Message With Photos Flaunting Ageless Beauty originally appeared on Parade. sent a bold political message in support of for Michigan governor while flaunting her ageless beauty in new photos. On Tuesday, July 1, the As Good as It Gets actress, 62, took to Instagram with two snaps of herself and the Democratic gubernatorial candidate. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 "Michigan, you have the fiercest, most qualified candidate running for Governor," Hunt captioned her update. "@jocelynbenson has put her life on the line for Americans her whole life. She walks the walk. Donate now to her campaign. 5 dollars?! It will make you feel more hopeful. The next Governor of Michigan!" In the featured picture, the Twister star smiled while rocking her natural gray hair and standing beside Benson. The second shot showed the two women embracing each other. Check out their timeless looks, below! Hunt disabled comments on her post. However, she recently spoke about the importance of voting as part of the I Will Vote initiative. "In order to ensure America's government reflects our values, I feel a responsibility to my country and myself to play my role in shaping it," she explained in a video. "There's more at stake now than there ever has been before." Hunt concluded, "We must never underestimate the power of our voices and our vote to impact change. So I'm going to cast my ballot on Election Day, and I hope you will, too." Next: Helen Hunt, 62, Sends a Bold Political Message With Photos Flaunting Ageless Beauty first appeared on Parade on Jul 1, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tiffany Trump Shares First Photo of Baby Son's Face & People Are Saying the Same Thing
Tiffany Trump Shares First Photo of Baby Son's Face & People Are Saying the Same Thing originally appeared on Parade. shared the first photo of her and husband Michael Boulos' baby son, and people think he's a spitting image of . On May 15, Tiffany, 31, welcomed her first child—a son she named Alexander Trump Boulos. The new mom announced the big news via Instagram with a black-and-white snapshot of the newborn's foot. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 "Welcome to the world our sweet baby boy," the daughter of the POTUS and his ex-wife, Marla Maples, captioned the update. "We love you beyond words! Thank you for coming into our lives!" On July 3, Tiffany returned to Instagram to reveal the first peek at baby Alexander's sweet face, writing, "The love of our lives, ATB 🧸." In the featured image, the new mom held her son with his head resting on her shoulder. Alexander faced the camera with his blue eyes and mouth open. Several other pictures showed Tiffany and Boulous with their baby boy and the newborn fast asleep in solo shots. Many folks in the comments couldn't get over how much Alexander looked like his politician grandpa. One Instagram user declared, "The spitting image of his grandfather, Mr. President❤️❤️❤️." Another wrote, "Actually looks like Trump too! He has strong genes because all his kids look like him!" Someone else agreed, sharing, "Omg! What a precious and blessed little angel 👼 looks like grandpa!! And like the little Caroline!" A different follower commented, "His beautiful blue eyes remind me so much of your dad's shape. Precious baby 💙💙💙." Meanwhile, yet another Instagram user exclaimed, "He look like Grampa Trump! ❤️." Baby Alexander is Donald's 11th grandchild. Next: Tiffany Trump Shares First Photo of Baby Son's Face & People Are Saying the Same Thing first appeared on Parade on Jul 3, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump signs ‘One Big Beautiful Bill' into law: What that means for your money
President Donald Trump signed the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) into law Friday, a budget that will have far-reaching repercussions on millions of Americans' bank accounts, for better and worse. The legislation is extensive, including hundreds of provisions that touch everything from individual rates to student loans to the estate tax. It attempts to pay for the included tax breaks by slashing spending on social safety net programs like Medicaid and nutritional benefits, as well as green energy programs. Even with these cuts, it is expected to add $3.1 to $3.5 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years. Along with provisions directly affecting Americans' personal finances, it earmarks hundreds of billions of dollars for the president's deportation efforts. It also creates a dual-class tax structure: one for citizens and their families, and another for those with at least one immigrant member, regardless of whether they are documented or not. Various analyses of the bill's provisions find it will benefit wealthy Americans far more than lower-income earners. In fact, after-tax-transfer income for the lowest-earning 20% of Americans drops by an estimated $245 next year, increasing to a loss of $1,385 annually by 2033, according to the Penn Wharton Budget Model (PWBM). Future generations are also 'uniformly worse off,' according to PWBM. 'All future generations experience one-time welfare losses, ranging from -$22,000 for the lowest income quintile to -$5,700 for the highest,' the analysis reads. 'A middle-income child born today would see a $9,800 loss.' The Yale Budget Lab finds similar outcomes: It estimates changes to taxes and Medicaid and SNAP would lead to a $700 decrease in income for the lowest 20% of earners, while the top 1% would see a $30,000 increase. Republicans say it will have positive effects throughout the economy. 'There's a view that there's a lot of potential economic growth from the bill that will have a positive impact on the economy,' says Marc Gerson, member at Miller & Chevalier and former majority tax counsel for the U.S. Ways and Means Committee. The legislation, which totals almost 1,000 pages, is far-reaching, and the details of how many provisions will be implemented still need to be worked out. For example, while it calls for no federal taxes on some tips and overtime, the IRS still needs to write those regulations for businesses and individual taxpayers to follow. All that said, exactly how it will affect people is unknown at this time. Additionally, many of the individual tax cut provisions are temporary, lasting generally through 2028 (this differs by provision, though, and will be noted if the information is available). Here's what financial advisors and experts say Americans need to know about the OBBB now. The bill makes permanent certain provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), including lower individual tax rates compared to what was in place before then: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, 37%. That said, these rates have been in place since the 2018 tax year, so many taxpayers are already accustomed to them. It also eliminates personal and dependent exemptions, and some itemized deductions while keeping the doubled standard deduction (compared to pre-TCJA). Under the bill, the standard deduction for 2025 is $15,750 for single taxpayers, $31,500 for joint filers, and $23,625 for heads of household. 'If you don't qualify for new tax benefits, your tax outcome may look similar to last year's since many provisions under the TCJA are being made permanent,' notes TurboTax. For the super wealthy, the bill makes permanent the doubling of the estate tax exemption from the TCJA. For decedents dying in 2026 and beyond, up to $15 million (and $30 million for couples) is exempt from the federal estate tax, and this exemption will be indexed for inflation. That mostly benefits individuals with estates in excess of $7.5 million, says Jane Ditelberg, director of tax planning at Northern Trust Wealth Management, the old exemption amount. 'Locking in the $15 million exemption indefinitely brings certainty to families planning major wealth transfers,' says Ditelberg. 'For more than two decades, taxpayers have faced a moving target, with the applicable rules changing depending on the year of death. This takes that risk off the table.' Under the bill, the child tax credit is increased from $2,000 per child to $2,200, and is subject to annual inflation increases. The bill requires the taxpayer claiming the credit, the taxpayer's spouse, and the child to have Social Security numbers. In place of eliminating taxes on Social Security, Americans 65 or older will see a temporary 'bonus' deduction of up to $6,000 on their income taxes. This will be available to single filers making a modified adjusted gross income up to $75,000, or couples making up to $150,000, for tax years 2025 to 2028. Car buyers will be able to deduct up to $10,000 of interest per year on new auto loans. This is limited by income: it phases out for single filers with incomes above $100,000 (and $200,000 for married couples). It also only applies to cars assembled in the United States. This is available for those who itemize and those who do not. The bill provides above-the-line deductions for some tip income and overtime pay for certain workers, fulfilling one of Trump's campaign promises. That said, there are important restrictions to keep in mind about both. Those with tip income can deduct up to $25,000 for qualified tips from their federal tax bill, phasing out for those with income above $150,000. This is in place for tax years 2025 to 2028. 'It's essential to understand that this deduction doesn't directly reduce your taxes dollar-for-dollar, and your actual tax savings will depend on your tax rate,' notes TurboTax. Those earning overtime pay can deduct up to $12,500 ($25,000 for married couples filing jointly), depending on income. Like the tipped income provision, this is available for tax years 2025 through 2028 and phases out for income above $150,000. Because many tipped workers are low-income, almost 40% already don't pay federal taxes on their tips, says Meg Wheeler, certified public accountant and founder of The Equitable Money Project. Additionally, tipped workers should know they will still technically owe state and employment taxes like Social Security and Medicare on their tips—it's still reportable income. This is not a total exclusion from paying taxes. 'We know that lots of tipped workers don't necessarily report all of their tips. So just even right there, that will be an interesting shift,' says Wheeler. 'I also am curious about whether or not this pushes more employers or even more employees to want to move to a tipped model, because they think this is helpful.' Gerson says these provisions—which the IRS will need to write guidance on before they are implemented—may create additional discrepancies on how workers are taxed in the same workplace. That can lead to headaches for business owners, as well as create tension among employees who are compensated differently. 'If you take a restaurant, you have some people who are tipped and will benefit from the exclusion, and then you have people that aren't tipped and won't benefit from it,' he says. 'It just has an impact on workforce dynamics. Some people [may] no longer want to be salaried because they can get in overtime.' The bill makes a number of changes to the federal student loan program starting in 2026, many of which will make payments higher for borrowers. The bill reduces the number of income-based repayment plans, phasing out the Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR), Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plans starting in July 2026. Current borrowers will have two years to switch to a version of the Income-Based Repayment (IBR) plan, the standard repayment plan, or the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), a new offering. New borrowers, meanwhile, will only be able to enroll in the RAP. 'Many existing borrowers will see higher monthly payments under these new plans, though the current iteration of the bill at least allows more time to change plans,' says Kate Wood, loans expert and writer at NerdWallet. 'As of now, student loan forgiveness still appears to be on the table, though RAP requires up to 30 years of repayment first, a longer repayment timeline than any current plan.' One of the big differences, says Wheeler, is that RAP has a minimum monthly payment. This is different from some of the current income-based repayment plans, which allow some borrowers to pay very low amounts or nothing at all, depending on their earnings. 'Now, all of a sudden they have to jump up to this minimum just because that's the rule, that's the law,' says Wheeler. 'I think that's going to be, right off the bat, a huge issue.' It also lowers the limits on graduate school loans, eliminates the federal Grad PLUS program altogether, and caps Parent PLUS borrowing. These changes apply to new loans starting July 1, 2026. While the high cost of graduate school has been a target of people who want to reform the student loan system in the U.S., experts say limiting how many federal loans borrowers can take out won't solve much. Instead, it means they will have to rely on private loans—which have fewer protections for borrowers and potentially higher interest rates—or skip higher education altogether. Those attending professional school for law or medicine may have the most to lose. One of the more contentious aspects of passing the bill was what to do with the cap on state and local tax deductions, or the SALT cap. Trump's 2017 tax bill put a cap of $10,000 on it; that cap has been increased to $40,000. This is one of the most expensive provisions in the bill. Taxpayers in California, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York stand to benefit the most: They account for 40 of the 50 top congressional districts affected by the cap. The cap reverts to $10,000 in 2030. 'It's increased relief, but it is temporary,' says Gerson. 'And so it's something that Congress will have to revisit.' The bill establishes so-called Trump accounts, which are a new type of tax-favored account for newborns. Children born between 2025 and 2028 will receive $1,000. The bill makes dramatic cuts to Medicaid, which is the health care program for low-income, disabled, and some senior Americans. It will also affect those who have Affordable Care Act (ACA) health care coverage. People on Medicaid will face strict new work requirements for able-bodied adults, and eligibility checks will increase from every 12 months to every six months. Estimates put the number of those losing health coverage at around 16 million Americans. 'It's very likely that people will lose coverage even if they still qualify, just due to the administrative burden,' says Kate Ashford, investing specialist at NerdWallet. 'It's also likely that some hospitals in rural areas that rely on Medicaid funding will reduce services or close, meaning that people in those communities may have to travel far or go without care if they get sick or injured.' Americans with ACA health insurance coverage will have to re-verify eligibility for tax credits each year, adding an additional hurdle to renewing. It also does not extend the ACA subsidies that help many Americans afford their coverage. 'If those expire, ACA health insurance costs will go up substantially, placing real stress on people's budgets and potentially resulting in people dropping health insurance,' says Ashford. 'Many immigrants who are legally residing in the U.S. will also lose access to ACA subsidies, forcing many of them to end coverage and raising rates for people who remain on plans.' Allowing the subsidies to expire will also raise costs substantially on small business owners who rely on ACA coverage, says Ashford, as will the Medicaid cuts. She says small business owners and other entrepreneurs may find that health insurance coverage is now too expensive to enter the field. This story was originally featured on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
