FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) speaks during a press conference following a weekly policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File Photo

By Nolan D. McCaskill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democratic U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon concluded a marathon speech opposing Republican President Donald Trump's agenda on Wednesday, the 22nd day of a government shutdown.

"The president believes that he is the king of this country and that he can control everything, regardless of what the law says or what we send him, and we have to collectively ... say, 'Hell no,'" said Merkley, who held the Senate floor for more than 22-and-a-half hours.

Merkley's speech surpassed that of a fellow Oregonian, former U.S. Senator Wayne Morse, who in 1953 spoke for 22 hours and 26 minutes. Merkley began speaking at 6:21 p.m. EDT (2221 GMT) on Tuesday and finished at 4:48 p.m. (2048 GMT) on Wednesday.

Merkley is the third congressional Democrat this year to deliver a marathon speech. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey spoke for more than 25 hours from March 31 to April 1, breaking a record held by Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, who filibustered the Civil Rights Act of 1957 for more than 24 hours. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York spoke on the House floor for nearly nine hours on July 3 to delay passage of Republicans' sweeping tax-cut and spending bill, breaking the record of former Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California, who spoke for more than eight hours in 2021.

Democrats in Washington have little power, with Republicans holding majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate. But Senate Democrats and the House Democratic leader are able to hold the floor for as long as they can speak to call attention to issues and stall the chamber's work. Senate Democrats have also repeatedly used the chamber's 60-vote threshold to block passage of a stopgap funding bill passed by House Republicans — and one Democrat — on September 19.

(Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Matthew Lewis)