The leader of the Democratic faction in the US House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, delivered a record speech that lasted 8 hours and 44 minutes. In this way, he tried to postpone the vote on the republican bill on large-scale tax reductions and reductions in government spending. About this informs PBS News.
Jeffries began his speech at 4:53 a.m. ET, finishing at 1:37 p.m. Under House rules, the minority leader has the right to speak for an unlimited amount of time during a debate — the so-called “magic minute.”
His speech broke the previous record set in 2021 by then-Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, who spoke for 8 hours and 32 minutes, and that of Nancy Pelosi in 2018, who spoke for more than 8 hours advocating for migrant rights.
During his speech, Jeffries sharply criticized the bill proposed by the administration of Donald Trump, calling it “immoral”. He condemned cuts to health care, food aid, renewable energy, and tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans.
“I feel a duty to stand here and take my time,” – he declared, opening the meeting.
As a reminder, on July 1, 2025, the US Senate approved a 940-page document called “One Big Beautiful Bill” — a key initiative of the Trump administration, which includes permanent tax breaks, cuts in social programs, increased defense spending, and an increase in the national debt limit. The law was passed with the smallest possible margin: 50 votes “for” and 50 “against”, the vote of the Republican Vice President JJ Vance was decisive.
