Senator Cory Booker gave a marathon all-night speech on the Senate floor that is still going on this morning, in an effort to put a spotlight on what he called the Trump administration’s “recklessness.” Via the New York Times:
Mr. Booker, the New Jersey Democrat, began speaking on Monday evening and said he planned to continue for as long as he was “physically able.” He was still going as of 5 a.m. Eastern.
The speech focused in part on what Mr. Booker said were President Trump’s plans to cut funding for Medicaid, among other programs. The White House has denied that it plans to cut Medicaid benefits, but the president and his allies have attacked Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security over what they claim is waste, fraud and abuse.
“I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able,” Mr. Booker said near the start of his speech. “I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our nation is in crisis.”
His speech was not a filibuster — a procedural tactic that has been used to block legislation on many issues, including civil rights — because it did not come during a debate over a specific bill or nominee. But it could still disrupt official business if it continues past noon, when the Senate is scheduled to convene.
Before his speech, Mr. Booker said on social media that he was heading to the Senate floor because Mr. Trump and Elon Musk had shown what he called “a complete disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution and the needs of the American people.”
“In just 71 days, the president of the United States has inflicted so much harm on Americans’ safety, financial stability, the core foundations of our democracy and even our aspirations as a people for — from our highest offices — a sense of common decency,” Mr. Booker said in his speech. “These are not normal times in America, and they should not be treated as such.”