As the U.S. government shutdown enters a fourth week—the second longest in history—Oregon’s Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley took the Senate floor all night to protest President Trump’s “tightening authoritarian grip on the country.”
Merkley started speaking at 6:21 p.m. Tuesday evening and has been talking for more than 15 hours, with occasional breaks for questions from other Democratic senators who’ve joined him on the floor.
By holding the floor open all night, Merkley forced Senate floor staff, security, and other support workers who are currently unpaid to work overtime hours.
