Shortly after 10am on Wednesday morning, Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader in the US House of Representatives, took the floor to deliver a routine “one-minute” speech. She concluded her remarks eight hours later, making it the longest speech on record in the chamber.
Pelosi’s lengthy intervention was a dramatic attempt to persuade Republicans to allow a vote on immigration legislation that would protect Dreamers, young undocumented migrants brought to the US as children.
The 77-year-old Democratic leader, wearing four-inch heels and forgoing any breaks, spent the majority of her time reading personal letters from Dreamers, whose temporary protection from deportation is set to expire next month.
She also quoted from the Bible and Pope Francis, laying out the moral case for taking swift action to protect the young immigrants. The Office of the House Historian said it was the longest continuous speech in the chamber on record.
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VK Krishna Menon
The Indian politician spoke for seven hours and 48 minutes at the UN in 1957, defending India’s position on Kashmir
Fidel Castro
The Cuban leader reportedly spoke for seven hours and 10 minutes at the Communist Party Congress in 1986. He also managed four hours and 29 minutes at the UN in 1960
Strom Thurmond
The US senator gave a 24 hour, 18 minute filibuster in 1957 against the civil rights bill
Bill Clinton
The 1995 State of the Union was the longest on record, coming in at 89 minutes
Henry Brougham
His six hours in 1828 was the longest Commons speech by a backbench British MP
William Gladstone
The longest continuous British budget speech at four hours and 45 minutes in 1853. Benjamin Disraeli's in 1852 was five hours long, but did include a break
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
Turkey's first president spoke for 36 hours and 31 minutes in 1927. It was, however, spread over six days
The Democrats sent her office hundreds of letters from Dreamers, which staffers rushed on to the floor for Pelosi to read.
“You see, these people are being deported,” Pelosi said around hour six. “We can do something today to at least make whole the children.”
Earlier on Wednesday Senate leaders announced a far-reaching agreement that would set federal spending levels for the next two years – only after setting aside the fraught issue of immigration reform.
Pelosi used her time on the floor to warn that without a promise to debate immigration legislation, “a large number of members of our caucus” would not support the budget deal, which could lead to the second US government shutdown this year.
But as she spoke in the House, the Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, urged its passage from the opposite side of the Capitol.
“The budget deal doesn’t have everything Democrats want, it doesn’t have everything Republicans want, but it has a great deal of what the American people want.”
Democrats had attempted to bind in the issue of immigration to budget negotiations as way to ensure Congress considers legislation that would protect Dreamers.
In the Senate, Democrats agreed to end a three-day government shutdown after securing a promise from the majority leader, Mitch McConnell, to allow a vote on immigration reform. Pelosi demanded a similar commitment from the speaker, Paul Ryan.
A spokeswoman for Ryan, AshLee Strong, said the Republican leader has “already repeatedly stated we intend to do a Daca and immigration reform bill – one that the president supports”.
Pelosi’s marathon speech seemed partly aimed at the liberal wing of her own party, who seethed as Senate Democrats cut a budget deal that could stall momentum behind the effort to resolve the Dreamers’ plight. But it also underscored Pelosi’s tenuous position, after the Democrats repeatedly promised Dreamers and other progressive activists that they would force a vote on immigration.
Donald Trump has expressed a desire to protect Dreamers, but only if there are also measures to strengthen border enforcement, fund a border wall and restrict the legal immigration system.
The fate of Dreamers was thrown into jeopardy when the Trump administration ended the the Daca program, giving Congress until 5 March to find a legislative solution.
Senate Democrats appear to have little appetite for another shutdown, but on Tuesday Trump said he would welcome another shutdown if they refused to yield to his hardline demands on immigration.
Trump said: “I’d love to see a shutdown if we can’t get this stuff taken care of.”
At 10 minutes past 6pm on Wednesday evening, Pelosi concluded her marathon speech. “My colleagues, for the last eight hours I have had the privilege of reading the testimony of so many Dreamers – I still have more,” she said, smiling and raising a stack of letters as proof.
“Our basic request is honor the House of Representatives. Give us a chance to have a vote on the floor. Let us thank and acknowledge the Dreamers for their courage, their optimism their inspiration to make America more American.”
The Democrats broke into applause and Pelosi turned around to high-five her colleagues.
While an impressive feat of stamina, Pelosi’s stand raised questions among some in her own party about what exactly her speech accomplished.
“What it accomplished,” Pelosi said on Thursday, “was to say we have our beliefs and we’re willing to fight for them and we’re willing to fight for them on the floor of the House.” She added: “I think the intensity to have that vote has increased.”
The Democratic leader said she wants Ryan to use a process known as “queen of the hill”, which would allow members to vote on a number of immigration proposals and only the measure with the most support would prevail.
Pelosi said she is urging her caucus to vote against the budget bill without a promise from Ryan to allow debate on an immigration but she is not counting votes in a concerted effort to derail the measure.