Sen. Jeff Merkley delivers marathon Senate speech protesting Trump’s policies

Washington — Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, began delivering a marathon speech on the Senate floor Tuesday evening, speaking overnight and into the morning Wednesday in protest of President Trump’s policies. 

Merkley, 68, began speaking at 6:21 p.m. on Tuesday and railed against the Trump administration through the night 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.”

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin and New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim took turns asking Merkley extended questions Wednesday morning, giving him brief breaks.

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.

Merkley’s marathon address comes after Booker delivered a record-breaking speech 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.