House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries launched a marathon speech on the House floor early Thursday morning, delaying a final vote on a nearly 900-page tax and spending bill backed by President Donald Trump. The Democratic leader used the "magic minute" privilege, which allows party leadership to speak for unlimited time, to mount an extended attack on what he called an "immoral" legislative package.
"It had been my hope, Mr. Speaker, that we'd be able to have a robust debate," Jeffries said at the outset of his remarks. "And because that debate was so limited, I feel the obligation, Mr. Speaker, to stand on this House floor and take my sweet time to tell the stories of the American people. And that's exactly what I intend to do - take my sweet time."
Jeffries began speaking at 4:53 a.m. EDT and was still speaking as of 9:30 a.m., surpassing four hours and drawing comparisons to the record-setting 8-hour, 32-minute speech delivered by then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in 2021.
The bill, central to Trump's second-term domestic agenda, proposes sweeping tax cuts and reductions to federal programs including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). According to Jeffries, the bill would result in "people [who] will die" due to reduced access to health care. "Tens of thousands, perhaps year after year after year, as a result of the Republican assault on the healthcare of the American people," he stated. "I never thought I would be on the House floor saying this is a crime scene."
Jeffries read letters from constituents around the country detailing their reliance on Medicaid, repeatedly identifying the Republican representatives who serve their districts-many of whom face difficult reelection campaigns. "Every single House Democrat is fighting hard to protect your Medicaid," Jeffries said. "We value you and we're working hard to defend you."
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the Medicaid cuts could cause 11.8 million Americans to lose health insurance over the next decade.
Republicans argue the changes are necessary reforms to rein in "waste, fraud and abuse" in entitlement programs. The Trump administration has also dismissed the CBO's projections as biased.
Jeffries criticized the bill's immigration policies and its changes to SNAP, saying, "Budgets are moral documents. And in our view, Mr. Speaker, budgets should be designed to lift people up." He added, "This reckless Republican budget is an immoral document... because of how it attacks children, seniors, and everyday Americans, and people with disabilities."
As Jeffries continued his speech, Democratic lawmakers rallied behind him. "Call. Your. Representative. Now," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) posted on X, urging constituents to pressure lawmakers to reject the bill.
