The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass President Donald Trump’s domestic policy package on Thursday after Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who represents part of Brooklyn, spoke for over eight hours in opposition.
The $4.5 trillion bill would cut taxes and social services, including Medicare and Medicaid programs, while increasing funding for border security and immigration enforcement. It now heads to the White House, where it is all but certain Trump will sign it into law.
Jeffries, the House minority leader, broke the record for the longest speech given on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives as he implored congressional Republicans to vote against the 887-page megabill. Only four Republicans would have had to vote against the bill for it to fail.
The Congressional Budget Office, an independent research agency, estimated that the bill could add $3.3 trillion to the national debt while causing nearly 11.8 million Americans to lose healthcare coverage. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office found that 1.5 New Yorkers could be affected by cuts to Medicare and Medicare.
During his marathon speech, Jeffries lambasted Republicans for the bill, saying social spending cuts would hurt vulnerable Americans and the entire economy. He also criticized Trump’s immigration policies and framed the bill as a giveaway for the wealthy.
“Leadership requires courage, conviction, compassion — and yet what we have seen from this administration and co-conspirators on the Republican side of the aisle is cruelty, chaos and corruption,” Jeffries said.
Jeffries yielded the floor after speaking for 8 hours and 44 minutes, after which House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-KY) responded briefly. Johnson listed the Trump administration’s domestic and international policy achievements before calling for a vote.
“It takes a lot longer to build a lie than to tell the simple truth,” Johnson said of Jeffries’ speech.
“Democrats deliver performances, and Republicans deliver results,” Johnson added. “Today, my friends, we are ready now, we are going to deliver what we were sent here to do, and every American will benefit from it.”
Two Republicans voted against the bill: Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. Republicans, who hold a slim majority, had room for three party members to break ranks.
Jeffries broke the record for longest-ever speech, set by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who spoke for 8 hours and 32 minutes in opposition to former President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” bill in 2021, which ultimately passed.
After Jeffries yielded the floor, Democrats surrounded him, embracing him and chanting his name. Democrats were enthusiastically cheering their leader since he started at 4:53 a.m., shouting “Preach!” and “Tell them, Mr. Leader!” as they encouraged him to continue speaking.
Jeffries’ speech was not a filibuster, the Senate rule that allows members to speak for an unlimited amount of time, but rather used his privilege as a chamber leader to speak beyond his allotted 60 seconds, known in House tradition as a “magic minute.” He appeared to be attempting to bring national attention to Democrats at a pivotal moment for domestic policy.
Toward the end of his speech, Jeffries said he wanted to read from the biblical Book of Matthew to highlight what he said was the hypocrisy and immorality of Republicans’ legislation. He specifically pointed to the bill’s cuts to Medicare and Medicaid programs.
“Truly, I tell you, whatever you did, whatever you did, whatever you did for one of the least of these, brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me,” Jeffries said, quoting Matthews 25:40. “That’s what we should be doing here in the United States House of Representatives. Our job is to stand up for the poor, the sick and the afflicted.”
Jeffries finished his speech by invoking the late civil rights leader and Georgia congressman John Lewis, saying Democrats would be undeterred even after the bill.
“No matter what the outcome is on this singular day, we’re going to press on,” Jeffries said. “We’re going to press on until victory is won.”
Updated at 2:36 p.m. on July 3.
