Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Breaks Record for Longest House Speech

At eight hours and 44 minutes, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on July 3 broke the record for longest speech in U.S. House history during his effort to delay the final vote on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Jeffries used a procedural tool called the “magic minute” that allows leaders unlimited floor time. He started speaking just before 5 a.m. ET.

“I’m still here to take my sweet time,“ he said on the House floor.

The GOP-led megabill, consisting of President Donald Trump’s signature legislative agenda, cleared a key procedural hurdle at around 3 a.m. ET after overnight negotiations between House Republican leaders and about a dozen holdouts. Republican leaders ultimately persuaded the holdouts, paving the way for passage in the final vote. Were the bill to clear a final vote, it would go to Trump’s desk for his signature.

Jeffries’ speech mostly focused on Medicaid, which is slated for the deepest cuts in the bill. The legislation would add work requirements for many adults on the health coverage program and limit a tool used by states to extract higher federal funding for Medicaid.

The minority leader called the legislation an “unprecedented assault” on the social safety net.

“Our House Republican colleagues, Mr. Speaker, have one last opportunity to join us as Democrats, every single Democrat who’s going to stand up and protect the health care of the American people, stand up and protect the nutritional assistance of the American people, stand up and protect our farmers, stand up and protect our veterans, stand up and protect the clean energy economy, stand up to protect our public schools,” he said.

Jeffries read stories of everyday Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other government services, making the case that these services should not be cut.

He also cited letters by moderate House Republicans, expressing concerns about the extent of the cuts to Medicaid.

The record for a “magic minute” speech is just more than 8 hours, set by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in 2021, protesting President Joe Biden’s agenda. The record was previously held by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who spoke in support of “Dreamers”—children who were brought into the country illegally by their parents—ahead of a vote concerning them.

Earlier this year, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) broke the record for the longest speech in Senate history, previously set by former Sen. Strom Thurmond, who at the time of giving the speech, protesting the Civil Rights Act of 1957, was a Democrat before switching to the Republican Party. While Booker was able to get other senators to join him during his speech, House rules prohibit Jeffries from having anyone else speak during his turn.

Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) told The Epoch Times he would like to see Jeffries break the House record.

“This would be a noble eight-hour speech, and I’d like to see him take the record from an ignoble speaker and hold the record,” he said.

In addition to making cuts to Medicaid—which the GOP has said is an effort to root out waste, fraud, and abuse—the bill includes funding for border security, such as finishing Trump’s wall at the southern border, and $150 billion for the military.

The legislation also makes permanent the individual tax cuts from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

The bill also defunds federal funding for Planned Parenthood for one year.

Nathan Worcester contributed to this report.