Hakeem Jeffries breaks Kevin McCarthy record while stalling Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
Jeffries has been able to command the House floor via a "magic minute," a privilege for party leaders in the chamber that allows them to speak for however long they want.
He's used it as a stalling tactic to delay the final vote on Trump's massive tax and immigration bill, after a marathon House-wide session considering the bill that began around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.
It's now the longest-enduring "magic minute" in U.S. House of Representatives history, breaking the previously record held by ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
McCarthy spoke for eight hours and 36 minutes in November 2021 to oppose Democrats' progressive Build Back Better bill.
Like Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act, lawmakers were working to pass it via the budget reconciliation process – which fast-tracks certain pieces of fiscal legislation by lowering the Senate's threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51.
The New York Democrat began speaking minutes before 4 a.m. on Thursday and broke McCarthy's record about 1:30 p.m.
"I feel the obligation, Mr. Speaker, to stand on this House floor and take my sweet time," he said at one point.
The first part of Jeffries' speech saw him read from a binder that he said contained accounts of people who could lose their Medicaid coverage under the GOP bill, taken from residents of states with Republican lawmakers.
"This Congress is on the verge of ripping food out of the mouths of children, veterans and seniors as a result of this one big ugly bill in order to reward billionaires with massive tax breaks and exploding the debt in the process," he said at one point.
Jeffries said this "one big, ugly bill" that "our Republican colleagues are trying to jam down the throats of the American people will undermine their quality of life."
At another point in the wide-ranging speech, he accused Republicans of cutting federal benefits to pay for tax breaks for wealthy Americans like Elon Musk – who notably opposes the bill.
"I think it's important for the American people to process… SNAP on average provides $6 per day. At the same time, Elon Musk, his federal contracts, as we understand it, amount to $8 million per day. Mr. Speaker, if Republicans were really serious about targeting waste, fraud and abuse in the United States of America, start there – $8 million per day, start right there," Jeffries said.
"Don't take it. Don't rip it from the mouths of children, seniors or veterans. If Republicans were really serious about targeting waste, fraud and abuse, start right there with Elon Musk."
House Republicans are expected to hold their vote.
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