'No Kings' movement hits Senate floor with Merkley marathon speech 

The “No Kings” movement made its way to the Capitol this week as Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) held the floor for 22 hours and 39 minutes from Tuesday evening into Wednesday afternoon, escalating the Democratic fight against President Trump only days after millions across the country protested his administration’s actions. 

Merkley, a three-term senator, began speaking at 6:21 p.m. on Tuesday and held the floor until 5 p.m. Wednesday in protest of what he deemed “authoritarian” actions by the president on a number of fronts, headlined by his deployment of the National Guard in Portland, Ore.

The speech came as the government shutdown hit the three-week mark and highlighted how far apart the two sides are. Democrats, dug in on their demands to attach an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies to the funding bill, cheered Merkley while Republicans dismissed the speech as theatrics.

While unlikely to change the dynamics of the shutdown fight, it was another effort by Democrats to stand with their frustrated base in opposition to Trump.

“People kept saying [at town halls], ‘Why can’t you do more? Isn’t there anything else you can do?'” Merkley said after the speech. “The idea came to my head that we need to … dramatize how fast the authoritarian [actions are] occurring.”

He later added, “It did feel like the right moment is in the middle of the week … and after the vibe had been generated by the No Kings march on Saturday. I didn’t want the momentum to die down.”

Merkley said that in order to prepare for the speech, his “last sip of water, anything … was breakfast on Monday morning on the plane [to Washington].” He said that at one point during the speech he felt like he was on the verge of fainting.

His colleagues, many of whom appeared in the chamber to ask long-winded questions to highlight certain issues and give Merkley a break from speaking, concurred about the timing.

“It’s a continuation of the No Kings rally on Saturday. Seven million people showed up to defend our democracy,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told The Hill. “Sen. Merkley is carrying that through to the floor of the Senate.” 

“Republicans may not want to hear it. They may cover their ears, they may not show up in their home districts or do town halls, but Democrats are determined to do as much as we can to force Republicans in Congress to confront directly how Donald Trump is undermining our democracy and how they are enabling, but they also have the power to put a stop to it,” she added. 

Merkley has been known as a stalwart progressive lawmaker for years, speaking out against what he has perceived as rising authoritarian tendencies by Trump and Republicans dating back years. 

He dug deep into that sentiment throughout the address, trying to “ring the alarm bells” for the country about Trump’s attempts to “trample” the Constitution.

“We’re in the most perilous moment, the biggest threat to our republic since the Civil War,” Merkley said. 

The Oregon Democrat pointed to the recent Justice Department indictments of multiple high-profile Trump political opponents, the GOP’s health care cuts and the yanking of research grants to universities to back up his arguments.

The address also came at a key time for his state as an appeals court recently gave the Trump administration the OK to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, the largest city in his state. 

“I believe this is an exceptionally important message,” said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the state’s senior senator. “Our city is in the eye of the storm.”

“We’ve talked about this a number of times. He didn’t just come up with this. … He’s been talking about the implications of authoritarianism for some time,” Wyden said, noting that the topic has come up consistently at their weekly Thursday breakfast and during sessions with their chiefs of staff. “He has been thinking about this for weeks.” 

Senate Democrats were largely unaware of Merkley’s plans until Tuesday. Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told The Hill that his move to hold the floor was a “surprise.” 

The floor address also comes amid the shutdown that has dragged on with no end in sight. Democrats have been loudly calling for an extension of the enhanced health care subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year. States have been rolling out their cost estimates ahead of open enrollment, with ObamaCare premiums set to skyrocket. 

That has not dented the GOP’s posture as Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has insisted that talks cannot get underway until Democrats agree to reopen the government. 

That has prompted a stalemate that shows no indication of subsiding. Shorty after Merkley concluded his speech, the Senate for a 12th time failed to advance a bill to reopen the government.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) declared on Tuesday that his caucus is "resolute" in voting against the House-passed continuing resolution and will continue holding out for an extension of those tax credits. 

The speech upset Senate Republicans, who criticized it for forcing Capitol Police officers and the chamber’s floor staff to work overnight at a time when they are not receiving paychecks. 

“I do realize it was such an imposition. It was a massive imposition,” Merkley said, adding that he thanked floor staffers, pages and officers who worked throughout the night after he concluded. 

They also took direct aim at Merkley’s decision to read a book — "How Democracies Die" by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt — during portions of the overnight session. 

“It is striking that Sen. Merkley is willing to talk about every topic under the sun other than actually reopening the government,” said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who is no stranger to lengthy floor speeches and made note of those who were forced to work unpaid overnight. 

“My understanding is more than a few of them were less than happy that they were forced to be there, but couldn’t be paid because Schumer and Merkley and the rest of the Democrats are throwing a temper tantrum to appease their radical base.” 

Others were more curt, saying that the speech is nothing but hot air. 

“I make nothing of it. It’s meaningless. He’s talking to himself, and maybe some of his radical base that happened to not sleep last night,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told The Hill. “It’s completely useless. It doesn’t move the dial. It doesn’t solve any problems. It’s meaningless.”