Why Cory Booker Has Been Speaking on the Senate Floor for Over 20 Hours

Democrats have been looking for a way to energize their frustrated base since losing all three branches of government in the November 2024 election.

Senator Cory Booker may have found a way.

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A Senate floor speech that the New Jersey Democrat began Monday evening entered its 20th hour Tuesday afternoon in what may be the most dramatic and sustained public challenge to President Donald Trump’s agenda since his return to the White House. The speech—which drew hundreds of thousands of viewers online—appeared to be a calculated effort to disrupt the usual business of the Senate and show the Democratic base that their party is willing to fight.

Booker, a former presidential candidate, denounced the Trump Administration’s attacks on Medicaid and Social Security, pausing at times to allow Democratic colleagues to ask questions—one of the few ways he could briefly rest his voice without yielding the floor. Booker also assailed the Trump Administration’s handling of immigration, education, and national security, arguing that its policies had inflicted “harm after harm” on ordinary Americans and undermined the nation’s democratic institutions.

“I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able,” Booker said near the start of his speech. “I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our nation is in crisis.”

It was a remarkable display of stamina as Booker pushed through exhaustion to keep his protest alive, which had begun at 7 p.m. on Monday. “I’m rip-roaring and ready,” he said. “I’m wide awake. I’m going to stand here for as many hours as I can.”

His marathon speech comes at a time when many progressive Democrats feel let down by recent compromises with Republicans, including a Trump-backed budget deal that ten Senate Democrats supported last month. A February CNN/SSRS poll found that nearly three-quarters of Democrats and Democratic-leaning adults felt congressional Democrats weren’t doing enough to oppose Trump. Booker’s speech, while not directly blocking any Republican attempts to advance Trump’s agenda, could serve as a direct response to those frustrations, signaling his willingness to challenge the status quo and take a stand against the compromises that many feel have weakened the party’s resistance to Trump’s agenda.

With his voice booming at times, and softening at others as he read letters from concerned constituents, Booker framed his marathon oration as an urgent call to action against what he characterized as the administration’s “recklessness.”

“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,” Booker said in a video posted to social media beforehand. “And so we all have a responsibility, I believe, to do something different, to cause — as John Lewis said — ‘good trouble,’ and that includes me.”

Here’s what to know about Booker’s marathon protest.

Is this speech a filibuster?

While Booker’s speech has kept the Senate floor occupied for nearly a day, it does not qualify as a traditional filibuster. A filibuster is typically aimed at delaying or obstructing the passage of specific legislation or the confirmation of nominees. In contrast, Booker’s speech is a broader critique of President Trump’s policies rather than an attempt to block a specific vote.

That said, the impact is similar. By taking the floor for such an extended period, Booker is disrupting the normal functioning of the Senate, drawing attention to what he and many of his Democratic colleagues view as a dangerous political climate under Trump’s leadership. 

The longest individual speech belongs to the late Senator Strom Thurmond, who spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes in a failed attempt to block the Civil Rights Act of 1957. More recently, Republican Senator Ted Cruz spoke for 21 hours and 19 minutes in 2013 to protest the Affordable Care Act, which had been law for three years.

Under Senate rules, a Senator recognized by the presiding officer can speak for as long as they wish, provided they remain standing and continue speaking. Booker, who appeared to have nothing more than two glasses of water and notes on his lectern, has skillfully used the rules to his advantage, permitting colleagues to ask questions to give himself brief moments of rest while still maintaining control of the floor. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, a Democrat, noted one of Booker’s tactics: “Cory had a Senate page take his chair away to eliminate any temptation to sit down,” Murphy posted on X late Monday night.

What is Booker saying?

Through Monday night and into Tuesday, Booker laid out a wide-ranging critique of the Trump Administration’s policies, focusing on cuts to government services and its crackdown on immigrants. “This is not right or left, it is right or wrong,” he said Tuesday afternoon. “This is not a partisan moment, it is a moral moment. Where do you stand?”

He argued that the Administration’s agenda disproportionately benefits the wealthy at the expense of ordinary Americans, citing proposed tax cuts that he said would further enrich billionaires while threatening funding for essential programs like Social Security and Medicaid. Trump has denied that he plans to cut Medicaid benefits, which provides health care to low-income Americans, but the Administration’s broad cuts across the federal government have raised concerns that programs like Medicaid and Social Security will eventually see reduced services. Trump and his allies have asserted they only intend to cut waste, fraud, and abuse from programs like Medicaid. 

Throughout the night, Booker read letters from constituents worried about losing access to affordable health care, emphasizing that these concerns were not abstract but deeply personal for millions of people. “How much more will we take of this?” Booker asked on Tuesday morning, referencing potential cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. “How much more of these indignities will we take as [Trump] turns his back on our allies? How much more of a person that is doing tyrannical things—as he takes our Constitution and continues to trash it, as he’s running into judge after judge after judge that’s trying to stop him?”

“This is not who we are or how we do things in America,” Booker added. “How much more can we endure before we, as a collective voice, say enough is enough? Enough is enough. You’re not going to get away with this.”

On foreign policy, Booker criticized Trump’s proposals to acquire Greenland and Canada, arguing that such efforts are undermining America’s credibility on the global stage and distracting from more pressing diplomatic and security challenges. Booker pointed to how U.S. relationships with traditional allies have quickly deteriorated under Trump. As Trump prepared to unveil more tariffs on his so-called Liberation Day on Wednesday, Booker warned: “It’s going to hurt us more as a nation in the long run.”

Booker also took aim at billionaire Elon Musk’s leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency, arguing that placing one of the Republican Party’s biggest donors and the recipient of billions in government contracts at the helm of federal restructuring efforts raised serious ethical and governance issues. He brought up Musk’s pledge to fund primary challengers to replace any Republicans in Congress who voted against Trump’s agenda. “Here’s something that pains me to hear: that Elon Musk is calling Republicans up and saying, ‘If you take this stand, I’m going to put $100 million in a primary against you,‘” Booker said. “They are bullying people who dare to stand up and say, ‘Maybe this appointee is not the most qualified person to lead this Cabinet position.’ Or ‘Maybe it’s wrong to cut this agency we created together in Congress,‘” he continued.

Who is Cory Booker?

With some Democrats eager for new party leadership, the effort by Booker could elevate his status within the party and position him as a leading figure in the opposition to Trump.

A former mayor of Newark, N.J., Booker, 55, was seen as a rising star in the political world, known for his charisma, optimism, and progressive policies. He served as Newark’s mayor from 2006 to 2013, earning national attention for his efforts to revitalize the city and his activism on issues of social justice. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2013 and later ran for president in 2020, which further elevated his profile, but he was unable to gain traction in a crowded field. 

A symbol of Democratic frustration

Since Trump’s election, Democrats have struggled to present a unified strategy against a White House that has frequently outmaneuvered them. The party’s progressive wing was particularly incensed last month when ten Senate Democrats joined Republicans in voting for a Trump-backed budget deal to keep the government open, a move that many on the left saw as a capitulation.

Booker’s speech appears designed to reassure the party’s base that Democratic leaders are willing to fight. “The threats to the American people and American democracy are grave and urgent,” Booker said. “And we all must do more to stand against them.”

The effectiveness of the strategy depends on how it resonates with the public and whether it ultimately shifts the political conversation. Booker’s marathon speech, while powerful, is unlikely to directly impact the broader legislative landscape—but it could serve to embolden Democrats who feel increasingly sidelined in a Senate controlled by Republicans.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer praised Booker’s efforts, calling them a vital stand against the “huge dangers that face [Americans] with this Trump-DOGE-Musk Administration.” 

“Your strength, your fortitude, your clarity has just been nothing short of amazing and all of America is paying attention to what you’re saying,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “All of America needs to know there’s so many problems, the disastrous actions of this administration.”