Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) is using a lengthy filibuster speech to criticize President Donald Trump as Senate Democrats utilize the procedural tool to block passage of a GOP-backed measure to open the government.
“I’m holding the Senate floor to protest Trump’s grave threats to democracy. We cannot pretend this is normal,” he said in a post on X.
The filibuster is a Senate rule that protects the minority against majority power. When a bill, including the continuing resolution Republicans want to pass to open the government, is brought to the Senate floor, any lawmaker can bring things to a halt by filibustering, or speaking for as long as he or she can. The Senate can only end the extended debate with 60 votes.
Merkley began his filibuster around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and continued debating overnight. The marathon speech has now lasted 13 hours, short of Sen. Cory Booker’s (D-NJ) 25-hour record set earlier this year.
Merkley condemned the Trump administration over several measures during the speech, including the president’s use of military troops to crack down on crime in major U.S. cities and protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carrying out deportation operations.
Merkley argued that such tactics are proof that Trump has authoritarian tendencies.
“This is an incredible threat to our nation,” he said. “To the entire vision of our Constitution. To the entire platform on which our freedom exists.”
“This is un-American,” Merkley added. “It is a fundamental violation of the purpose of our military.”
Trump’s attacks on the free press aren’t an isolated incident. They’re a constant barrage designed to push us further into an authoritarian strongman state.
https://t.co/ivJlGSVCLo pic.twitter.com/AwALuHoeIY
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) October 22, 2025
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The Oregon senator’s filibuster comes as the government shutdown stretches into the 22nd day.
The gridlock has continued due to Democrats’ demands that Obamacare subsidy extensions be attached to the House-passed continuing resolution, which is being held up in the Senate. Republicans have refused to attach that provision, leading to the stalemate.