House minority leader Nancy Pelosi set a House record when she delivered an eight-hour floor speech in support of giving protections to DACA recipients.
She took to the floor at 10 am Wednesday, and consumed an entire day’s worth of floor time with her remarks. She finished speaking at 6:10 pm.
Pelosi, 77, was able to pull off the speech, likened to a Senate ‘filibuster,’ due to a rule that gives both leaders the ability to talk ad nauseam once recognized.
Pelosi delivered the monologue in defense of ‘DREAMers’ brought here illegally when they were children, whose protections are set to expire next month. She spoke on a day Senate leaders reached a bipartisan budget deal to raise spending caps in a two-year budget but without dealing with the DREAMer issue.
House minority leader Nancy Pelosi set a House record when she delivered an eight-hour floor speech in support of giving protections to DACA recipients.
She says she will oppose the deal unless House Speaker Paul Ryan commits to bringing up DACA legislation for a vote.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made a similar commitment, which he repeated Wednesday.
McConnell promised it would have an ‘amendment process that will ensure a level playing field at the outset’ and be ‘fair to all sides,’ though he stopped short of guaranteeing any outcome.
Pelosi wants something similar in the House, where the majority is not as accustomed to bending to the minority’s demands.
Ryan has said he wants a solution to the DACA problem.
‘Let Congress work its will,’ said Pelosi, ‘What are you afraid of?’
She surpassed a record by of 5 hours, 15 minutes set by Rep. Champ Clark, D-Mo., in 1909 when he was the Democratic minority leader, Fox News reported.
IT’S A RECORD: Pelosi spoke for more than eight hours Wednesday
WORDS, WORDS, WORDS: Pelosi was able to hold the floor using ‘leader time.’ She did it without eating
Pelosi, the California Democrat who has served as speaker, went on and on, reading statements from DREAMers. At one point, fellow Democrat Doris Matsui, appeared to fall asleep.
‘I have had the privilege of reading the testimony from Dreamers, I still have more,’ Pelosi said.
The got a thank you from the National Republican Campaign Committee. ‘Every minute you’re in front of the cameras, you make our job easier,’ the NRCC tweeted.
She got a standing ovation from Democratic colleagues when she was done.