
Cory Booker has made history for giving the longest speech ever on the Senate floor. The 55-year-old Senator from New Jersey has been speaking on the floor for over 24 hours and broke the late Sen. Strom Thurmond ’s 1957 record, when he filibustered against civil rights for 24 hours and 18 minutes.
Booker began his speech at 6:59pm on Monday (March 31) and he broke the record at 7:18pm on Tuesday (April 1). He’s still speaking though! “I’m going to go for as long as I am physically able to go,” Booker said as his speech began. “I’ve been hearing from people all over my state and indeed all over the nation calling upon folks in Congress to do more.
To do things that recognize the urgency, the crisis of the moment. So we all have a responsibility, I believe, to do something different. To cause, as John Lewis said, ‘good trouble.
’ And that includes me.” “Our constituents are asking us to acknowledge that this is a crisis. So I am going to stand here until I no longer can,” he added.
Booker spoke out against the actions of President Trump and his administration. PBS is live streaming the speech on YouTube..