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Washington — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Cory Booker expressed strong opposition to the Republican budget agenda linked to President Trump’s objectives in a sit-in protest at the Capitol early Sunday morning.
Beginning shortly after 6 a.m., the two lawmakers initiated a livestreamed discussion, with Booker emphasizing a “moment of moral urgency” as Congress prepares to reconvene after a two-week recess on Monday. The senator from New Jersey committed to engaging in dialogue for “a good number of hours” regarding the upcoming legislative battles.
This week, congressional committees are set to start working on crucial legislation tied to Trump’s inaugural year agenda. This effort follows the recent approval of a budget resolution by both the House and Senate, which is intended as a framework for future policy initiatives. This plan aims to facilitate the implementation of Trump’s priorities, including measures on border security, defense, energy policies, and tax reforms. Republican leaders in Congress have set an ambitious timeline to deliver this agenda to the president by Memorial Day.
Utilizing the budget reconciliation process, Republicans aim to advance this plan without requiring bipartisan support. Conversely, Democrats have strongly opposed it, focusing their criticisms primarily on the potential reductions to Medicaid funding.
Jeffries, representing New York, articulated the stakes during the early moments of the discussion: “As we prepare to come back into session tomorrow, this is a time to choose. And we’re either going to choose the side of the American people, or we’re going to choose this cruel budget that Republicans are trying to jam down the throats of the American people.”
Throughout the sit-in, other lawmakers joined Jeffries and Booker, including Senator Chris Coons from Delaware, Maryland’s Angela Alsobrooks, and Representative Andre Carson from Indiana, along with advocates and onlookers.
“We can’t keep doing things like business as usual. We have to think of creative, new things to do,” stated Booker. “So Hakeem and I thought, let’s sit on the steps of the Capitol, open up a live feed right before the sun rises, and begin a conversation.”
During the initial phase of the sit-in, discussions covered not just the budget proposal but also broader opposition to the Trump administration, interwoven with personal anecdotes that highlighted themes of faith.
This latest demonstration follows Booker’s record-setting 25-hour speech earlier this month on the Senate floor, which aimed to protest various policies implemented by the Trump administration.
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