Chuck Schumer, to put it kindly, is not.
But the senator who has been haunting the halls of Congress for 44 years isn’t going to just walk away quietly; no, he’s going to keep droning on about his failed progressive vision and dumping on what has been so-far a highly successful Trump presidency.
In his latest effort at putting roadblocks in front of Trump’s priorities, he is reportedly going to force the Senate clerk to read the entire text of the Big Beautiful Bill and waste an estimated 12-15 hours that can never be recovered:
JUST IN: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will force the clerk to read the ENTIRE 940 page long One Big Beautiful Bill on the Senate floor which is estimated to take around 12 hours further DELAYING a vote on President Trump’s massive piece of legislation.… pic.twitter.com/eWOahZS5GE
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) June 28, 2025
Although the strategy is not particularly common, it’s been done before, and in all fairness, Republicans have resorted to the tactic in the past, too:
The maneuver, which was described by a person granted anonymity to describe private plans, is meant to slow down Senate passage of the megabill and give Democrats more time to raise awareness of provisions inside of it. The reading of the bill by clerks is provided for under Senate rules but is almost always waived by unanimous consent.
Senate aides estimate reading the 940-page bill could take about 15 hours. When Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) forced the reading of Democrats’ 628-page American Rescue Act in 2021, it took 10 hours and 44 minutes. (Johnson said he bought the clerks a case of wine afterward.)
