U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley began speaking on the Senate floor just before 6:30 p.m. Tuesday against what he called President Donald Trump’s authoritarian actions, and remained there Wednesday morning.
Aides to the Oregon Democrat said he plans to continue speaking for as long as he is able.
The marathon speech is not a traditional filibuster, in which a senator holds the floor indefinitely to block action on a piece of legislation, as the chamber has been stalemated for weeks over government spending.
Instead, Merkley spokespeople say he is seeking to draw attention “to how Trump is ripping up the Constitution and eroding our democratic institutions.”
Merkley read from the book “How Democracies Die,” blasted the administration’s efforts to control media companies that broadcast critical content, such as CBS and Disney, and spoke against Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Democratic-led cities.
The speech follows thousands of No Kings demonstrations throughout the country Saturday that saw millions protest against Trump, particularly an immigration crackdown and the use of military troops for policing.
Early in his speech, Merkley focused on the National Guard deployments, which include Portland, Oregon.
“This is an incredible threat to our nation, to the entire vision of our Constitution, to the entire platform on which our freedom exists,” he said. “If you remove a clear standard as to whether there is a rebellion, and just say a president can deploy the military on a whim in places he doesn’t like, … then you have flung the doors open to tyranny.”
