by Shannon Kelly ’26 on October 30, 2025
News
Starting on Tuesday, Oct. 21, Jeff Merkley, a Democratic Senator from Oregon, led his caucus in protesting the Trump administration in the midst of the government shutdown. The government has been shut down since Oct. 1, when the Senate failed to pass an appropriations bill that would have funded the federal government for the upcoming fiscal year. They have since tried to pass 12 appropriations bills that have failed. Considering that Republicans control the House, Senate, and the Presidency, this was a moment of defiance for Democrats. Senator Merkley spoke for longer than 22 hours, as he began at 6:21 p.m. on Tuesday and finished at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. This nearly broke Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey’s record for longest speech given, after spending 25 hours on the Senate Floor back in April.
Democrats have allowed for the government shutdown due to their demands to extend government healthcare resources, which Republicans have refused to negotiate. There has been little progress made in regards to finding a common ground that both sides can agree upon. This is a timely conversation, especially in light of the passing of President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” The bill will effectively strip healthcare coverage from millions of Americans who rely on Medicaid and cut subsidies from the Affordable Care Act, among other things. As Senator Merkley stated, Trump plans to replace a government “by and for the people with a government by and for the powerful.”
Senator Merkley’s speech came after many No King’s Protests were held all over the United States, including in the cities of Providence, Washington, D.C., New York City, and Boston. Understandably, speaking on the Senate Floor for 22 hours is not an ideal feat, yet the 69-year-old senator demonstrated his tenacity, which Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts highlighted as “a continuation of the No Kings rally.” She also stated that “seven million people showed up to defend our democracy. Sen. Merkley is carrying that through to the floor of the Senate.”
The effects of the government shutdown are already being felt by many across the country. In fact, nearly 750,000 federal employees are at risk of being furloughed or terminated from their jobs. The government shutdown will continue until both sides are able to agree upon a reasonable appropriations bill. Senator Merkley repeatedly stated that authoritarianism is here and that as a country, “We’re in the most perilous moment, the biggest threat to our republic since the Civil War.”