Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon concluded a marathon 22-hour and 36-minute speech on the Senate floor Wednesday evening, warning that the United States faces its “most perilous moment” since the Civil War under what he characterized as President Donald Trump’s authoritarian governance.
The 68-year-old Democrat began speaking at 6:21 p.m. Tuesday and remained standing until 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, pausing only for questions from fellow Democratic senators. His speech became the fourth-longest in Senate history and surpassed the previous Oregon record of 22 hours and 26 minutes set by Senator Wayne Morse in 1953.
Standing beside a sign reading “Ring the alarm bells: Authoritarianism is here now,” Merkley delivered a sweeping condemnation of the Trump administration’s actions over the past nine months. “We’re in the most critical moment, facing the greatest threat to our republic since the Civil War,” he declared. “President Trump is dismantling our Constitution.”
The senator argued that authoritarianism manifests through “the assault on freedom” and the erosion of “the essential separation of powers.” He contended that the nation now faces “three components that establish tyranny”: a compliant Congress, a submissive judiciary, and an authoritarian president with a plan to concentrate power.
“Tyranny has arrived. It is not down the street. It is not just around the corner. It is not something we will face tomorrow. It is present at this very moment,” Merkley stated Wednesday morning as he approached the 16-hour mark.
Throughout his address, Merkley highlighted numerous Trump administration actions he described as authoritarian overreach:
Justice Department Weaponization: The senator criticized the Department of Justice for targeting perceived political adversaries, including former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Senator Adam Schiff of California. He noted that these indictments followed the resignation of a U.S. attorney who reportedly believed there wasn’t sufficient evidence to pursue charges.
Supreme Court Immunity Decision: Merkley lambasted the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. United States, which granted presidential immunity for official acts. “No one ever thought the president was above the law until Trump versus the United States case goes to the Supreme Court,” he said, arguing that the ruling gives the president and executive branch carte blanche to violate laws without accountability.
National Guard Deployments: The senator condemned the administration’s deployment of National Guard troops to American cities, particularly Portland, Oregon. He characterized this as a fundamental violation of military purpose, arguing that troops are meant to defend against foreign powers, not attack American citizens exercising their constitutional rights.
University Pressure Campaigns: Merkley addressed the Trump administration’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” sent to nine universities in early October, which tied federal research funding to compliance with the administration’s political agenda. The compact demanded universities ban consideration of demographic factors in admissions and hiring, commit to “institutional neutrality,” and define gender based on “reproductive function and biological processes.” Seven of the nine universities initially approached have rejected the offer.
Healthcare Cuts: The senator accused Republicans of shutting down the government “to continue the strategy of slashing Americans’ health care” after passing cuts to Medicaid and other programs over the summer.
Merkley’s speech occurred on day 22 of the federal government shutdown, making it the second-longest in U.S. history.
The senator said his decision to hold the floor came after witnessing the momentum generated by the “No Kings” rallies that took place nationwide on October 18. Those protests drew an estimated 7 to 11 million participants across some 2,700 locations, making them potentially one of the largest single-day demonstrations in American history. The rallies protested what organizers characterized as Trump’s authoritarian policies, including immigration enforcement actions, attacks on academic freedom, and the deployment of military forces to Democratic-led cities.
“I didn’t want the momentum of that to die down,” Merkley explained in a news conference after concluding his speech. “I felt it was so important at this moment of time to amplify the extraordinary moment we are in of an aggressive authoritarian takeover of our republic.”
Senator Adam Schiff backed Merkley’s effort by highlighting what he called the “top 10 warning signs of Trump’s tightening authoritarian grip,” including misuse of the military, attacks on universities, elimination of legal representation rights, Justice Department abuse, free speech suppression, demonization of vulnerable communities, propaganda, self-enrichment, usurpation of Congress’s power of the purse, election undermining, and assault on facts.
As Merkley yielded the floor, he urged Americans to work together to “ring the alarm bells” about threats to democracy. “If we do not confront tyranny in its first year and if we do not find a way to have a strong rebuttal in the next election than it becomes entrenched,” he warned. “It is our responsibility, our oath to the Constitution to not let that happen.”
The speech marked the second time Merkley has broken his personal record for Senate floor speeches. In 2017, during Trump’s first term, he spoke for more than 15 hours to protest Trump’s nomination of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch.
