A democratic American senator monopolized the US Senate chamber on Monday, March 31, to protest against President Donald Trump’s “unconstitutional” policies.
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker began speaking around 7 PM local time and was still addressing parliamentarians, standing, after 14 hours since he started his speech, according to Agerpres.
“I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal activities of the US Senate for as long as I physically can. I rise tonight because I sincerely believe that our country is in crisis,” said the New Jersey senator on Monday.
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The internal rules of the upper house of the American Congress allow any senator to speak as long as they remain standing without taking a break: the tactic is known as “filibuster,” a word derived from the French word “filibustier” (pirate), because those who use it “hijack” the closure of debates.
However, his speech is not an attempt to obstruct, as no law is currently being voted on.
“In just 71 days, the US president has inflicted so much damage to the security and financial stability of Americans, even to the foundations of our democracy,” declared the Democrat at the beginning of his intervention. “These are not normal times for the US,” he added, visibly emotional. “And they should not be treated as such.”
On Tuesday morning, the Democrat warned that Trump could undermine or dismantle the American social security system.
“I declare to you, I will fight for social security, I will fight to protect this agency, I will fight against unnecessary budget cuts that harm the service it provides,” he added.
The marathon of this former American football player could disrupt the Senate’s activities on Tuesday.
The record for the longest speech is held by South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond in 1975, defending racial segregation. This speech lasted 24 hours.
In 2013, Republican Senator Ted Cruz spoke for 21 hours to challenge Barack Obama’s healthcare reform.”
