House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is pulling out all the stops to slow down President Donald Trump’s colossal $3.3 trillion bill with a marathon speech that’s testing everyone’s patience.
After a dramatic early Thursday vote of 219 to 213 pushed the bill to its final House phase, Jeffries took the floor just before 5 a.m., armed with binders and a mission to delay the inevitable, potentially stretching his talk into the afternoon, Fox News reported.
The Senate had already passed its version of this sweeping legislation late Tuesday morning, with Vice President JD Vance breaking a tie in a razor-thin GOP majority, though their tweaks to Medicaid cost-sharing, tax measures, and the debt ceiling have sparked grumbling on both sides of the aisle.
Let’s rewind to Wednesday, when this bill nearly hit a brick wall as five House Republicans, including vocal members of the Freedom Caucus, threatened to tank the rule vote over Senate changes they claim balloon the deficit.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., alongside Trump himself, spent hours twisting arms to secure support, managing to sway all but moderate Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., to move forward with debate.
Yet, conservatives like Reps. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Chip Roy, R-Texas, who voted no in a grueling 12-hour Rules Committee session, still aren’t thrilled, while moderates fret over Senate shifts pushing more Medicaid costs onto states.
Enter Jeffries, wielding the “magic minute” privilege that lets party leaders speak indefinitely, who declared, “I feel the obligation, Mr. Speaker, to stand on this House floor and take my sweet time.”
With all due respect, this tactic feels less like principled opposition and more like a theatrical stunt to frustrate a bill that, thanks to budget reconciliation rules, Democrats can’t directly block.
Jeffries called it “one big, ugly bill” that he claims will harm everyday Americans, but let’s be honest—delaying progress doesn’t solve problems; it just kicks the can down the road for political points.
This legislation, dubbed by Trump as a win for all on Truth Social, permanently locks in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act brackets, adds deductions for tipped and overtime wages, and offers new tax breaks for seniors over 65.
It also pumps billions into national defense, Immigration and Customs Enforcement for border security, and allocates $46 billion for Trump’s signature wall, while raising the debt limit by $5 trillion to dodge a fiscal cliff.
Democrats cry foul, labeling it a handout to the wealthy, but Republicans counter that targeting working-class taxes and reforming welfare with new work requirements for Medicaid and food assistance proves their focus is on everyday folks.
Speaker Johnson noted, “We're monitoring the weather closely,” as delays in Washington could complicate lawmakers’ travel to Capitol Hill for the final vote expected later Thursday, weather and Jeffries permitting.
Despite the drama, Trump posted a call on Truth Social urging lawmakers to “unite” and “get it done” before the July 4th break—and his message resonates. Americans want lawmakers to take action on securing borders and lowering taxes, not to waste time on endless grandstanding from either side.
