House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries put members of his own party to sleep on Thursday during his last-minute attempt to stall President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill.
Jeffries used a procedural rule known as a “magic minute” on the House floor and began his over four-hour long speech at 4:53 a.m. — forcing his colleagues to sit through his long rant about Trump’s spending package. Some Democrats evidently could not bring themselves to listen to the speech any longer and dozed off in their seats.
“[I’m] thankful for the House Democratic leadership. Thankful for the leaders of every single committee that has been battling hard to push back against the cruelty that is in this one, big ugly bill,” Jeffries said, as congressmen appeared to fall asleep behind him. “Thankful for the leadership of [Democrat Massachusetts Rep. Richard] Neal, thankful for the leadership of [Democrat New Jersey Rep.] Frank Pallone. Thankful for the leadership of [Democrat Pennsylvania Rep.] Brendan Boyle, thankful for the leadership of [Democrat Minnesota Rep.] Angie Craig. I’m thankful for the leadership, the principal leadership of every single member of the House Democratic Caucus.” (RELATED: Dem Rep. Jayapal Claims People Have Been ‘Sobbing’ On Her Shoulder Over How Much They Hate The ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’)
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After hours of delay, the House advanced the bill in a 219-213. Only one Republican, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, voted “no.”
Using the “magic minute,” Jeffries spoke with unlimited time on the House floor to highlight the Americans who would allegedly suffer from the bill.
“I rise today in strong opposition to Donald Trump’s one, big ugly bill,” Jeffries said at the beginning of his speech. “This disgusting, abomination, the GOP tax scam, that guts Medicaid, rips food from the mouths of children, seniors and veterans, and rewards billionaires with massive tax breaks. Every single Democrat stands in strong opposition to this bill because we’re standing up for the American people.”
The Senate narrowly passed the legislation on Tuesday in a 51 to 50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie. Vance said that an unspecified Republican congressman texted him that Jeffries’ speech turned him into a “firm yes” on the bill.
“GOP Congressman just texted me: ‘I was undecided on the bill but then I watched Hakeem Jeffries performance and now I’m a firm yes,’” Vance wrote on X.
Some Republicans were highly weary or opposed to the “big, beautiful” bill due to its potential increase on the national debt. Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, who voted against the initial version of the bill, flipped his vote by supporting the legislation in the procedural vote.
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