Democratic leaders and union officials are preparing to make the Republican-backed budget bill—which passed the House on July 3 and was sent to President Donald Trump to be signed—a centerpiece of their 2026 midterm strategy. They plan to use it to draw contrasts with Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) concluded a marathon floor speech on July 3 after speaking for eight hours and 44 minutes, breaking (by 12 minutes) the previous record set by then-Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in 2021 and delaying the vote on the bill but not stopping it from going for a vote. Jeffries began just before 5 a.m. ET in a final attempt to delay the vote and rally public attention to the sweeping GOP budget bill backed by Trump. The vote went ahead later that day.
