U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader of the House of Representatives, made history on Thursday after delivering a nearly 9-hour speech on the House floor to delay the passing of President Donald Trump and the Republican Party’s “One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act.”
After standing for 8 hours and 44 minutes, the New York congressman broke the record for the longest House speech ever delivered in U.S. history, surpassing former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, who previously broke the record in 2021. During his speech, Jeffries condemned the megabill, which gives massive tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans and makes historic cuts to Medicaid and SNAP to pay for them.
Democrats and advocates have decried the legislation as a major transfer of wealth that will leave tens of millions of Americans without health care and food assistance amid sustained high costs of living. At worst, they said, people will die.
Jeffries slammed the big “ugly” bill as “corruption of steroids,” a “dereliction of duty,” and “mismanagement” of public funds.
The Brooklyn-bred Democrat turned to his roots growing up in the Black church to call out the hypocrisy of Republicans, who claim to put a high premium on their faith as part of their conservative values.
“I grew up in the Cornerstone Baptist Church,” said Jeffries, who quoted Matthew 25:35-40. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me in.”
Connecting scripture to the role of government, he continued, “Maybe I needed Medicare or Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act…I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison, and you came to visit me.” Referencing the Trump administration’s immigration detainments, he added, “We have a right, as members of Congress, to visit people who are detained. It’s not just in law, it’s right here in Matthew.”
“Our job is to stand up for the poor, the sick and the afflicted, the least, the lost and the left behind, the everyday American,” said Jeffries. “That’s what Matthew teaches us, and that’s not what’s happening in this one big, ugly bill. That’s not consistent with what my faith teaches me.”
Directly calling out his Republican colleagues, he added, “Some folks in this town, they go to church and they pray on Sunday, P-R-A-Y, and then they come to Congress and prey, P-R-E-Y, on the American people. I’m not down with that kind of faith!”
The Democratic leader also turned to the U.S. Constitution to shame Republicans and their blind loyalty to Trump, given that even Republicans who expressed opposition to the president’s bill voted for it. Jeffries said the framers created Congress for a distinct reason as a separate and equal branch to the presidency, in opposition to a monarchy. Democrats have argued that Republicans are allowing Trump, who has sought to expand the power of the presidency, bypassing Congress in the process, to govern like a king.
“I hope my Republican colleagues will come to the conclusion that we work for the American people. We don’t work for any president. We work with American presidents,” said Jeffries.
Recalling the conservative manifesto known as Project 2025, which Trump and Republicans distanced themselves from in the 2024 election, Jeffries said, “Every single part of the extremism that we’ve seen unleashed on the American people is connected to Project 2025.” He added, “After Project 2025 comes Project 2026.”
The Democratic congressman said American voters “will have an opportunity in this national nightmare as part of Project 2026,” suggesting the need to elect more Democrats to Congress.
“Imagine in America where everyone who works hard and plays by the rules can live the good life, and afford to live the good life, good-paying jobs, good housing, good health care, good education for your children, and a good retirement,” said Jeffries of the Democratic agenda.
Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright, who is a close advisor to Rep. Jeffries, praised the House leader’s marathon speech.
“Jeffries has been called to be the House Democratic Leader for such a time as this,” Seawright told theGrio. “I also think this is confirmation that in these unusual times, we can’t do business as usual.”
Seawright said Jeffries’ hours-long speech served to not just delay the Trump megabill but to “educate” Americans about the consequences of the bill, which will be signed into law by President Trump on Independence Day.
The Democratic strategist said Jeffries’ reference to the Bible and the Constitution to shame Republicans was also very intentional.
“It’s so important to highlight the hypocrisy that comes from the other side, because they tend to hide in patriotism, and much of their patriotism is baked in racism, and they tend to hide behind their faith when most of them do not live their faith,” Seawright told theGrio.
He also reflected on the ancestral and historic nature of Jeffries’ speech as the nation’s first African-American party leader.
“Every successful major social movement in the history of this country, arguably the history of this world, has had some key elements: the Black press, the Black church, Black constituency groups [and] Black men and women leading the charge on the front line,” said Seawright, adding “[Jeffries] embodies that.”
As Jeffries forges a path for “new leadership” within the Democratic Party in the Trump era, the Democratic insider predicted, “It’s going to not only change the United States of America, but it’s going to change the direction of the world.”
