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Sen. Jeff Merkley delivers marathon 22-hour speech to protest Trump

Washington — Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, delivered a marathon speech on the Senate floor that stretched 22 hours and 37 minutes across Tuesday and Wednesday, protesting President Trump's policies in one of the longest addresses in the chamber in recent years.

Merkley, 68, began speaking at 6:21 p.m. on Tuesday and continued until 4:58 p.m. Wednesday. Over the course of the speech, he railed against the Trump administration for its deportation efforts, canceled federal programs, so-called weaponization of the Justice Department and efforts to send the National Guard into American cities — including Portland, Oregon.

"I've come to the Senate floor tonight to ring the alarm bells," Merkley said at the outset of his speech. "We're in the most perilous moment, the biggest threat to our republic since the Civil War. President Trump is shredding our Constitution."

A slew of Merkley's fellow Democrats took turns asking him extended questions, giving him breaks over the course of his speech and providing a platform for other senators to make their own arguments. The address was the fourth-longest in the Senate since 1900, according to the Senate Press Gallery.

Sen. Jeff Merkley addresses the Senate on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. / Credit: Senate TV

Sen. Jeff Merkley addresses the Senate on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. / Credit: Senate TV

Portland, which Merkley represents, has been a target of Mr. Trump's ire for years and again came into focus last month, when the president directed the Defense Department to coordinate the deployment of National Guard troops to the city. On Monday, a federal appeals court cleared the way for the administration to federalize and deploy members of the Oregon National Guard to Portland while a legal challenge moves forward.

"President Trump wants us to believe that Portland, Oregon, in my home state, is full of chaos and riots because if he can say to the American people that there are riots, he can say there's a rebellion," Merkley said. "And if there's a rebellion, he can use that to strengthen his authoritarian grip on our nation. Pretend there are riots, or even try to provoke violence, and tighten his authoritarian grip."

Merkley said Portlanders aren't "taking the bait." Instead, he said, "they are demonstrating with joy and whimsy."

"They want to make it clear to the world that what Trump is saying about there being violent protests or a rebellion in Portland is just not true," he added.

The remarks come as Democrats and Republicans remain at an impasse over how to fund the government, with the shutdown stretching into a fourth week Wednesday. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, criticized the speech in a post on X before it began Tuesday evening, highlighting that Capitol Police are not being paid.

"The Democrats are going to make Capitol Police and Capitol support staff who they refuse to pay work all night so they can give speeches patting themselves on the back for shutting down the government and hurting the American people," Barrasso said.

Merkley's marathon address follows a record-breaking speech by Booker on the Senate floor earlier this year, spanning more than 25 hours. The speech was also made in a protest against the Trump administration's policies. In 2017, Merkley delivered one of the longest Senate floor speeches on record when he spoke for more than 15 hours to oppose the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer praised Merkley on the floor as the speech approached 21 hours in the afternoon.

"I just want to thank the great senator from Oregon for his strength, his fortitude, his integrity, and just shining a spotlight on this erosion of democracy under Trump," Schumer said.

"I've been on the Senate floor to ring the alarm bells for a long time," Merkley said as he began wrapping up his remarks.

He thanked members of his staff and the Capitol Police and staff who stayed to continue the chamber's operations, and colleagues who engaged with him during the remarks.

"We are in the most perilous moment, the biggest threat to our republic since the Civil War," Merkley said. "President Trump is shredding our Constitution."

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