House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Sen. Cory Booker host a sit-in on Capitol steps over the GOP budget plan

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senator Cory Booker, D-N.J., gathered with a large group of supporters at the Capitol on Sunday. They sat on the steps in protest of the forthcoming Republican efforts to pass a budget reconciliation bill aiming to reduce federal spending by $1.5 trillion.

Booker expressed concerns about the moral implications of the bill, highlighting its potential impact on essential services such as food assistance, elderly care, disability services, and healthcare. The lawmakers emphasized the importance of their religious backgrounds and the urgency to speak out against the proposed budget cuts.

The sit-in, which commenced at 6 a.m., attracted a diverse crowd eager to participate in the conversation led by Jeffries and Booker. They invoked Martin Luther King’s words that “budgets are moral documents” to underscore the significance of their protest.

As the day unfolded, various individuals including faith leaders and Democratic lawmakers like Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., voiced their opposition to the budget proposal. The sit-in continued throughout Sunday, with participants sharing personal stories and motivations for standing against the bill.

Booker, known for his lengthy speeches against Republican policies, previously set a Senate record by speaking for over 25 hours in opposition to the Trump administration earlier this month.