@pbsnews: The top Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives delayed a vote on President Donald Trump’s big tax and spending cuts bill by speaking for more than eight and a half hours Thursday, setting a new record for the chamber’s longest floor speech. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., spoke for 8 hours and 44 minutes, breaking the record set in 2021 by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who spoke for 8 hours and 32 minutes to criticize Democrats’ “Build Back Better” legislation. Jeffries began speaking at 4:53 a.m. EDT and finished around 1:38 p.m. As House Democratic leader, he can speak as long as he wants during debate on the bill. Jeffries called Republicans’ actions in the legislation “a crime scene, going after the health, and the safety, and the well-being of the American people.” Democrats, he said, “want no part of it.” When concluding his marathon floor speech, Jeffries quoted the late Rep. John Lewis, urging lawmakers to "press on" in the face of the legislation they oppose. #pbsnews #pbsnewshour #newshour #congress #news #hakeemjeffries #jeffries #donaldtrump #trump #trumpadministration #democrat #johnlewis

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Thursday 03 July 2025 18:45:00 GMT