Summary
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) broke the record for longest Senate floor speech at 25 hours and 5 minutes, surpassing the 24-hour, 18-minute filibuster by former Sen. Strom Thurmond, who opposed the 1957 Civil Rights Act.
Booker said it “irked” him that Thurmond’s record symbolized efforts to block civil rights.
He used the speech to protest potential GOP spending cuts and Trump-era policies.
Supported by fellow Democrats, Booker remained standing and speaking for over a day, calling his action a symbolic reclaiming of the Senate’s legacy.
It accomplished the blocking of Senate business for a full 25 hours. The Republican majority couldn’t do anything while Booker had the floor. That’s significant. Democrats are not in power, so obstruction is one of their only options. The Republicans are great at it, so I’m glad Dems are finally trying it too. Look how much the Republicans prevented Obama from accomplishing. I think they would consider their obstruction at that time to be an accomplishment.
There is very little that Democratic senators can actually accomplish from the minority. They certainly can’t pass their own bills, that’s how the Senate works unfortunately. So for now, this is what an accomplishment looks like.