Overview
- Sen. Jeff Merkley spoke from 6:21 p.m. Tuesday to about 5 p.m. Wednesday, totaling roughly 22 hours and 39 minutes in one of the longest Senate addresses in decades.
- He accused the administration of “weaponizing” the Justice Department, pushing mass deportations, halting research grants, and directing National Guard deployments to U.S. cities, including Portland after an appeals court cleared federalization of Oregon’s Guard.
- While holding the floor, the Senate could not conduct other business; the talkathon was not a technical filibuster, and Democratic colleagues periodically asked lengthy questions to give Merkley brief breaks.
- The marathon came as the shutdown entered a fourth week, with Democrats continuing to block the GOP stopgap funding bill over demands to extend health-care subsidies after 11 failed Senate votes and another vote pending.
- Republicans, including Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, criticized the overnight session for keeping unpaid staff on duty, while Democratic leaders, including Chuck Schumer, praised Merkley for highlighting threats to democratic institutions.