Jeffries Breaks House Speech Record With 8.5-Hour Marathon to Delay GOP Megabill

In a dramatic show of political resistance, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries delivered the longest speech in U.S. House of Representatives history Thursday, clocking in at 8 hours and 45 minutes. His remarks, starting at 4:52 a.m. and ending shortly after 1:30 p.m., aimed to delay final passage of a Republican-backed domestic policy megabill expected to pass before the July 4 deadline.

Jeffries invoked the House’s procedural tradition known as the “magic minute”—an unlimited speaking allowance granted to party leaders—to protest potential cuts to social safety-net programs embedded in the GOP legislation. During the marathon, he read emotional letters from constituents and highlighted the risks the bill poses to everyday Americans.

Breaking a Streak of Record-Holders

Jeffries’ speech surpassed the previous record set by Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, who spoke for 8 hours and 32 minutes in 2021. Before McCarthy, the record was held by then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who delivered an 8-hour speech in 2018 advocating for Dreamers. All three speeches occurred while their respective leaders were in the minority.

Unlike the Senate, where speeches can be filibuster-style, the House imposes strict time limits — except for the minority or majority leader, who may speak as long as they wish under a House precedent. That quirk of procedure gave Jeffries the platform for his unprecedented floor remarks.

Republican Reaction and Legislative Context

Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed the speech as “an utter waste of everyone’s time,” signaling GOP readiness to move ahead with the bill regardless. But Democrats argue the delay was crucial to raising public awareness before a vote they say will deeply affect working-class Americans.

Jeffries’ speech wasn’t the only holdup in the House this week. On Wednesday, conservative pushback against Senate revisions forced one procedural vote to remain open for more than nine hours — the longest vote in House history, according to Democrats. GOP leaders scrambled through the night to secure votes, wrapping the process just before Jeffries took the floor.

What Comes Next

The Republican domestic megabill is still expected to pass later Thursday, fulfilling the party’s pledge to act before the holiday. However, Jeffries’ speech has added fresh urgency to Democratic efforts to sway public opinion, especially in vulnerable Republican-held districts heading into the 2026 midterms.

Whether the speech changes the final vote remains to be seen, but in terms of endurance and symbolic resistance, Jeffries has left his mark on congressional history.

(with inputs from congressional records and media pool reporters)