2 Apr 2025

Booker Sets New Record for Longest Senate Speech

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Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) shattered the record for the longest speech ever delivered on the floor of the USA’s Senate at more than 25 hours.

The previous record was set by former Senator Strom Thurmond in 1957 at 24 hours 18 minutes in his effort to hold back civil rights legislation. Rules for Senate filibusters were looser then, allowing Thurmond to take bathroom breaks.

Booker took the floor Monday 31 March 2025 at 18:59, announcing his “intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able” as a form of protest against what Donald Trump and his subordinates are doing to the government and the nation. He held the floor until 1 April at 20:04.

In preparation, he stopped eating the previous Friday night and stopped taking in liquids Sunday night due to rules that no longer allow bathroom breaks during a filibuster. He began his speech with notes and two glasses of water from which he took sips.

Some filibusters in the past have filled the time with ruses such as reading from the telephone directory. Booker endeavored to talk about substance and policy, especially the contest between good and evil. He spoke about Trump’s policies such as tariffs; Elon Musk’s axing of  federal agencies, contracts and budgets; and Republican cuts to such vital programs as Medicaid which are in their bills and plans. At some points, Democratic colleagues engaged in dialog with Booker, which gave his voice moments of rest.

Booker’s speech delayed the Senate vote on confirmation Matthew Whitaker as the USA’s ambassador to NATO and other Senate business.

Booker finished by apologizing to and thanking the people who kept the Senate chamber open and operating throughout his speech. By then, his speech had been “liked” on TikTok 400 million times.

He ended with what quickly became the most widely quoted lines from his speech: “This is a moral moment. It’s not left or right; it’s right or wrong. Let’s get in good trouble.”

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