In the name of “good trouble,” Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., plans to disrupt the Senate with a speech that will go on for “as long as I am physically able,’ he says.
Booker began his marathon speech at 7 p.m. Monday, intending to pause the Senate proceedings in protest of the Trump Administration. He tweeted on X moments before entering the Senate floor. If no other senator is speaking, a senator can ask to be recognized on the floor and then speak for as long as they wish
“Please do not let this be another normal day in America,” Booker pleaded with the Senate floor and the viewers at home around 2:30 p.m. in his 19th hour of holding the floor. During this time, he has gone through multiple topics of concern that have been affected by the Trump Administration.
Booker has garnered support from colleagues like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. He also has the support of 118.4 million people from his TikTok live stream of his speech alone.
This tactic is similar to a filibuster, which the Senate defines as “action designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment or other debatable question.” Since Booker is not booking or delaying a vote but rather an act of protest, his speech is not a filibuster. His protest falls under the “good trouble” that the late Congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis advocated.
Ashley Johnson covers Congress for HUNewsService.com.
