House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday broke the record for the longest speech delivered on the House floor, spending eight hours and 44 minutes criticizing Republicans’ reconciliation bill.
“House Democrats, we envision a different country than the one that is being ravaged by such extremism right now,” Jeffries said as he delayed the final vote on the legislation, as much of the Democratic caucus watched on.
In his speech, Jeffries called the Republican reconciliation bill “one big, ugly bill” that will “make life more expensive for the American people.” The bill was passed by the Senate on Tuesday and was poised to pass the House shortly after Jeffries’ speech concluded. He took the floor after Speaker Mike Johnson spent hours whipping House conservatives to vote for a procedural measure that allowed for the bill to make it to a final vote.