Senator Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) has been holding the floor in the Senate for 18 hours now, speaking about Trump, Musk, and DOGE and the negative impacts they have and will continue to have.
This is not technically a filibuster, as it's not in opposition to any specific legislation, but it follows basically the same rules: he is not allowed to sit, not allowed to leave the floor, and not allowed to stop talking unless someone asks him a question (he cannot sit even during questioning). (Side note, yes, filibuster rules are super ableist; no, I don't know what would happen on the sitting rule if the Senator was in a wheelchair.)
Many times when the filibuster (which I will call it for simplicity's sake) is used, the Senator will resort to reading from the phone book, or potentially some piece of literature - while 1984 might be appropriate, Senator Booker has remained on topic for almost the entire speech (a few light-hearted exchanges when asked questions as the only exceptions). He has read parts of letters from constituents, as well as elaborated on his own thoughts on several issues.
I know some people are probably reading this and asking in disgust why he doesn't *do something* instead of just talking. The answer is that this is one of the few things he, as a member of the minority party which has proven willing to roll over and pass Republican spending bills, this is one of the strongest things he can do in the Senate building.
He can't be removed from the floor as long as he doesn't sit (he had an aide remove his chair to remove temptation), stop talking (he is allowed to be quiet while questions are being asked), or yield the floor on his own. While he continues, no other business can come before the senate.
Obviously, he can't continue forever. The longest filibuster on record in the US is just over 24 hours (courtesy of noted racist Strom Thurmond, protesting the Civil Rights Act). Once he's done, business will continue. But it's the legislative equivalent of a lunch counter sit-in, and it's the most spine a Senator has shown this administration. (Most spine by a legislator in this administration is still held by Representative Al Green (D-Texas), who had to be removed during Trump's address to Congress a month ago.)
