N.J. U.S. Sen. Booker gives anti-Trump marathon speech

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New Jersey’s U.S. Sen. Cory Booker does not agree with several actions taken by President Donald Trump, and he’s speaking out about it.

A lot.

The Democratic senator took to the Senate floor at 7 p.m. Monday, objecting to cuts impacting Medicaid and Social Security, as well as protesting the Trump administration’s immigration policies and efforts by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to reshape the size of the federal government.

As of mid-afternoon Tuesday, Booker, looking tired but determined, was still talking. He vowed to continue to do so as long as he was “physically able.”

How long is a senator allowed to speak?

According to the rules of the U.S. Senate, Booker can continue to speak for as long as he wants, but he cannot officially stop or take a break because that is considered yielding the floor, and the presiding officer of the Senate would then be permitted to move on to other official business.

However, another senator is permitted to ask Booker a “question,” and the “question” may take several minutes or longer, essentially allowing Booker to take a break. Although, while it gives him a break from speaking, he must remain standing while others are talking.

What’s the end game?

Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, said Booker’s primary goal is to mobilize people who oppose the president’s actions. But there’s another reason he’s delivering a marathon speech.

“We know that Trump pays a lot of attention to who’s on TV, pays a lot of attention to who’s in front of the camera. Booker is certainly getting attention here, he is certainly calling attention to this effort,” he said.

Ben Dworkin, director of the Rowan University Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship, said the Democratic Party has been accused of not speaking out against the president’s policies forcefully enough.

“Booker took the opportunity to command the spotlight, and he has been helped out by his Democratic colleagues when he has yielded for a question, they’ve spoken to echo the same themes,” he said.

He said it’s a dramatic gesture.

“We almost never talk about someone’s speech on the Senate floor, but this one we are,” he said.