By: Bianca Machain, April 22, 2025
From March 31 at 7 p.m. to April 1, at 8:05 p.m. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey stood on the Senate floor and delivered the longest speech in Senate history centered around opposing President Donald Trump’s new policies.
Booker used the Senate floor to read testimonials from concerned citizens of the United States, including people who were afraid of losing their medical insurance, people who fear their futures and people who have lost hope for retirement.
Despite its lengthiness, his speech was not a filibuster by definition because Booker did not deliver a speech to delay or prevent legislation from moving forward. Instead, he spoke in opposition to President Trump’s executive orders. However, a Cal Poly Pomona political science professor Cody Kuhn said that in a way, Booker was “filibustering the process” by disrupting the normal activities associated with Senate and bringing them face-to-face with these issues.
One of Booker’s strongest criticisms of Trump was specific to his dismantling of the Department of Educationand cutting funding for teachers. These budget cuts would have a nationwide impact, and they would affect millions of staff members and students around the country. Students are losing access to scholarships and grants that they need to pay for higher education. Kuhn touched on how many students are losing need-based scholarships.
“It’s very frustrating to see the federal government having a hack-first-and-ask-questions-later approach to dealing with integral supports for common life in America,” Kuhn said.
With significant budget cuts, students are concerned about the affordability of college. Booker said these cuts to the Department of Education are a testament to whether America believes children deserve education. Booker commented on the fact that issues of the past were not alleviated from people sitting around and agreeing.
Booker is not alone in feelings that louder and proactive measures are needed in opposing President Trump’s political moves.
“I feel like the Democratic Party is weak,” said Mary Holyfield, a political science student. “I feel like they have no fight in them.”
Holyfield said there needs to be more political outrage and activism, noting she believes what the president is doing is unconstitutional and should be opposed in a bigger way than it is. She said that political demonstrations, such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Fighting Oligarchy tour is an example of the needed political outrage.
Booker continued his speech by speaking on the protection of both Medicare and Social Security. He once again read personal stories of citizens who had their lives saved by Medicare, and those who are in fear of losing their Medicare. These letters contained stories of people afraid to retire because their Social Security benefits could not help them.
Emmy Phillips, a political science student who sympathized with Booker’s message.
“We are the ones they need to be representing,” Phillips said. “We are the ones who give them their position of power.”
With a 25-hour long speech and over 1,164 prepared pages, Booker dethroned former Sen. Strom Thruman of South Carolina, who filibustered for 24-hours and 15 minutes in opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
“This is a moral moment. It’s not left or right, it’s right or wrong,” Booker said at the end of his speech. “Let’s get in good trouble.”
Feature image by Connor Lālea Hampton
