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Jeffries invokes ‘magic minute' to delay passage of Trump bill, sets new House speech record
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and the Democratic Caucus assemble on the steps of the Capitol to condemn President Donald Trump's signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, in Washington, on Wednesday. AP
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has broken the record for the longest floor speech as the House debates President Trump's tax and spending cut proposal.
According to an Associated Press report, Jeffries began speaking at 4:53 am EDT, delivering a wide-ranging address that included reading letters from Americans who depend on government programmes like Medicaid and SNAP.
He accused the bill of 'stealing'' from vital social programmess to fund tax cuts for the wealthy, added the report.
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As the speech stretched into its eighth hour, it took on the tone of a Sunday church service, with Jeffries quoting passages from the Bible.
'Take your time,' 'Take your sweet time,' colleagues replied as he spoke.
'Shame on this institution if this bill passes,' he said.
Jeffries spoke deliberately, often pausing between words and phrases for emphasis.
He invoked a procedural rule known as the 'magic minute,' which permits House party leaders to speak for as long as they choose during floor debate, reported CNN.
In November 2021, then-Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy used the same tactic to speak for 8 hours and 32 minutes, stalling a vote on President Joe Biden's social spending package.
At the time, Donald Trump praised McCarthy's effort in a public statement.
Though Jeffries used his leadership privilege to deliver a marathon speech against President Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill, Democrats lack the votes to stop it.
Instead, Jeffries aimed to shape the political narrative ahead of the 2026 midterms, denouncing the Republican-backed package as 'an all-out assault on the American people.'
The 800-plus-page proposal is a central pillar of Trump's agenda in his return to the White House. You can read the full bill here.
With inputs from agencies
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