Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., shattered a speech record in the House of Representatives on Thursday, as lawmakers continue to wrestle with President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill.’<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
McCarthy spoke for eight hours and 32 minutes in November 2021 to oppose Democrats’ progressive Build Back Better bill.<\/p>\n
Like Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, lawmakers were working to pass it via the budget reconciliation process \u2013 which fast-tracks certain pieces of fiscal legislation by lowering the Senate’s threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51.<\/p>\n
The New York Democrat began speaking minutes before 4 a.m. on Thursday and broke McCarthy’s record about 1:30 p.m, by approximately 12 minutes. Jeffries ended his speech after eight hours and 44 minutes.<\/p>\n
‘I feel the obligation, Mr. Speaker, to stand on this House floor and take my sweet time,’ he said at one point.<\/p>\n
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<\/u> under the GOP bill, taken from residents of states with Republican lawmakers.<\/p>\n
‘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.<\/p>\n
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.’<\/p>\n
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 \u2013 who notably opposes the bill.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
‘I think it’s important for the American people to process\u2026 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 \u2013 $8 million per day, start right there,’ Jeffries said.<\/p>\n
‘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.’<\/p>\n
House Republicans are expected to hold their vote.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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