Cory Booker Shatters Senate Speech Record After Previously Calling Filibuster an 'Abuse of Power'

Senator Cory Booker, D-N.J., has entered the history books by delivering the longest Senate floor speech ever, clocking in at 25 hours and 5 minutes. Starting Monday evening at 7 p.m., Booker’s marathon filibuster was aimed at opposing a contentious bill promoted by former President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. Quite the plot twist, considering Booker’s earlier stance on this parliamentary tool.

Back in January 2022, Booker lambasted the filibuster as an "abuse of power" that undermined reforms supported by most Americans. His words at the time were sharp: "The filibuster has been abused to stop reforms supported by the vast majority of Americans—from background checks to protecting the right to vote. We must stop this abuse of power." Fast-forward to 2025, and Booker himself is wielding the same tool he once criticized. Irony much?

The filibuster has long been a lightning rod in U.S. politics. Democrats, during President Joe Biden's administration, frequently decried its use by Republicans to foil key agenda items. But the tides have turned, and now the Democrats are finding some utility in the very mechanism they once sought to abolish.

Former Senator Kyrsten Sinema, the lone Democrat who opposed ending the filibuster during Biden's term, couldn’t resist a jab at her party’s apparent flip-flop. Referring to Booker's record-breaking speech, she quipped, "Maybe it isn’t an old Jim Crow relic, after all," a sly dig at past criticisms likening the filibuster to antiquated racial policies.

Sinema also called out Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who had slammed the filibuster as a "Jim Crow relic" just a year ago. Yet when Republicans tried to push a continuing resolution in March, Jayapal urged Senate Democrats to vote against cloture—a move that would have ended the filibuster and allowed the measure to pass. Sinema couldn’t help but point out the contradictions, observing, "Just surprised to see support for the 'Jim Crow filibuster' here." Ouch.

Booker has also had a history of changing his tune on the filibuster. In 2019, he defended it emphatically, saying, "I will personally resist efforts to get rid of it." But by 2022, his stance had shifted dramatically, calling for its removal. Watching him now wield the filibuster for over 25 hours does beg the question: Is this a case of political evolution or just good old-fashioned convenience?

For now, Booker’s marathon speech has cemented his place in Senate history. Whether it will also solidify his standing with voters or fuel further criticism of political double standards remains to be seen.