House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries delivered the longest “magic minute” speech in U.S. House history on Monday, speaking for eight hours and 44 minutes in an attempt to delay a vote on President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Jeffries, addressing the chamber in the early morning hours, condemned the legislation as a sweeping attack on working-class Americans and framed the bill as a corporate windfall disguised as fiscal policy.
Jeffries began speaking at 4:53 a.m. ET, using the procedural privilege granted to House party leaders to speak without time constraints. His speech, which surpassed the previous record set by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2021, came as House Republicans prepared to vote on a bill that would make permanent the $4.5 trillion in tax cuts passed during Trump’s first term and implement an additional $1.2 trillion in spending reductions—primarily targeting Medicaid, food assistance, and green energy programs.
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Labeling the legislation “one big ugly bill,” Jeffries denounced it as “an all-out assault” on health care and essential services. He cited anticipated cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP, and the Affordable Care Act, arguing that hospitals—especially in rural communities—would be forced to close. “People in America will die unnecessary deaths,” he said. “That is outrageous. That is not what we should be doing here in the United States House of Representatives.”
Jeffries also criticized the bill’s impact on labor, calling it a blow to unionized jobs and accusing Republicans of “jamming this legislation down the throats of the American people” in order to deliver tax breaks to billionaires. “We were a hell no last week, a hell no this week, a hell no yesterday, a hell no today,” he said, reinforcing his party’s opposition.
The legislation faces unified Democratic opposition. House Republicans, however, argue the bill introduces responsible fiscal measures, with House Speaker Mike Johnson asserting the vote is essential to “getting the job done for the American people.” Johnson confirmed around 3:30 a.m. ET that Republicans had the necessary votes to move forward.
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House Majority Leader Steve Scalise defended the work requirements embedded in the bill, claiming the measure ensures resources are prioritized for the truly needy, not for “35-year-olds sitting at home playing video games.” Speaker Johnson dismissed Jeffries’ speech as political theater: “It takes a lot longer to build a lie than to tell the truth, so he’s really spinning a long tale in there.”
Despite procedural complications, the bill is expected to pass the House. If successful, it will proceed directly to President Trump’s desk. Trump previously urged lawmakers on Truth Social to deliver the legislation before July 4, framing it as a historic achievement in his policy agenda.
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Jeffries maintained that Congress should not operate on deadlines dictated by the president. “We don’t work for Donald Trump. We work for the American people,” he said. “This is not about showmanship. This is about survival.”
Democrats submitted several amendments to the bill—including protections for cancer survivors and expansions of the child tax credit—but Republicans rejected each one. Outside the chamber, Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) said Jeffries “is doing what they won’t: telling the truth, sharing the stories of the families this bill would hurt.”