Merkley Holds 22-Hour Senate Speech, Delays Votes

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) held the Senate floor beginning Oct. 22 for roughly 22 hours and 39 minutes to protest what he called President Trump’s growing authoritarianism amid the 22-day government shutdown. He accused the administration of weaponizing the Justice Department, attacking the free press, deploying National Guard troops to Portland, and cutting university research grants. Democratic colleagues occasionally asked him questions to give brief breaks while his hold prevented further votes as the Senate repeatedly failed measures to reopen the government. Republicans condemned the tactic as performative and said it forced unpaid Capitol staff and police to work overtime during the shutdown. Though he fell short of Sen. Cory Booker’s roughly 25-hour record, Merkley’s marathon remarks renewed Democrats’ use of extended floor speeches to spotlight alleged threats to democracy as negotiations over funding and health-care subsidies remain stalled.