Senator Booker's 25-Hour Marathon: A Fight for Veterans During Government Shutdown

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
As the nation ground to a halt and federal workers
faced empty paychecks, one manrefused to sit down, refused to
be silent and refused to let ourveterans be ignored.
In a rare act of politicalendurance, he stood literally
for 25 hours on the Senate floor.
This is the gripping story ofSenator Cory Booker's 25-hour
marathon, a bold act of protestduring one of America's most

(00:24):
frustrating shutdowns.
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(00:45):
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Let's get into it.
Hi everyone, and welcome backto Life Points with Rhonda,
where we dive deep into themoments that shape our
relationships, our communitiesand our future.
Today, we're stepping into thepolitical sphere, but this isn't
just about policy.

(01:06):
It's about heart, it's aboutpeople and it's about the moral
courage to stand when otherschoose to walk away.
In October 2013, as the USgovernment shut down, essential
services paused and uncertaintyblanketed the country.
Amidst that chaos, newlyelected Senator Cory Booker

(01:27):
chose not just to speak up, butto stay up.
For 25 hours straight.
He stood on the Senate floorchampioning veterans who were
being directly harmed by theshutdown.
Let's unpack the why, the howand the what happened next?
What caused the shutdown?
The 2013 government shutdowndidn't happen overnight.

(01:50):
It was the result of intensepolitical warfare centered
around one issue the AffordableCare Act, also known as
Obamacare.
Republicans in the Houserefused to pass a budget unless
it defunded or delayed Obamacare.
Democrats wouldn't agree tothose terms.
The result A budget stalematethat led to a 16-day shutdown

(02:10):
beginning October 1st 2013.
Federal agencies locked theirdoors, hundreds of thousands of
workers were furloughed,national parks were closed and,
most devastatingly, veterans whodepend on consistent government
support found their benefitsdelayed or inaccessible.
Imagine serving your country,returning home and then being

(02:32):
told we'll get back to you onceCongress finishes arguing.
The Veterans Impact let's notgloss over this.
Veterans were affected deeply.
Disability claims were stalled.
Educational benefits under theGY Bill hung in limbo.
Va call centers, regionaloffices and hotlines were

(02:52):
unmanned.
Mental health support wasinterrupted a dangerous risk
considering PTSD rates amongreturning soldiers.
Personal stories poured in,like a former Marine in Virginia
who was weeks away fromhomelessness due to benefit
delays, or a widowed militaryspouse who couldn't access
survivor benefits.
This wasn't politics anymore,this was personal, and Booker

(03:14):
knew it.
The Marathon Booker takes thefloor On a Friday afternoon.
In early October, senator CoryBooker then, only months into
his Senate role, walked into thechamber with a stack of letters
from veterans.
He began to read and he did notstop, from Friday at noon until
Saturday afternoon, 25 hours intotal.

(03:36):
Booker stood without sitting orresting, speaking nonstop under
what's known in the Senate as atalk-a-thon.
It's different from afilibuster.
Under Senate rules, a senatorcan continue speaking as long as
they don't sit down, yield thefloor or leave.
There's no bathroom break, nomeal break, just you, your words

(03:58):
and the weight of yourconviction.
Booker didn't grandstand.
He told stories.
He read letters from veteransand their families.
He quoted data.
He cited names, cities andservice records.
He made them visible again.
Not alone who stood with him.
Booker wasn't entirely alone.

(04:18):
Senators Jeff Merkley andRichard Blumenthal joined him
periodically to provide moraland procedural support.
Staffers, veterans and even somemembers of the public quietly
gathered to bear witness.
But this was Booker's moment.
His words echoed through anemptying chamber, a building
filled with tension and a nationunsure of what came next.
The human angle, stories thatbroke the chamber's silence.

(04:42):
One letter Booker read camefrom a Vietnam veteran in
Alabama.
He wrote after all I gave, Ijust want to be seen.
I want my country to work forme the way I worked for it.
Another came from a femaleMarine who suffered a traumatic
brain injury.
Her benefits were delayedmid-treatment, she wrote.
Every day is a battle.

(05:03):
I shouldn't have to fight mygovernment too.
Booker's voice cracked morethan once and those watching
knew this wasn't politicaltheater.
It was truth-telling Politicalstrategy and symbolism.
Some critics dismissed the moveas performative.
Others called it inspiring.
Democrats largely supported thegesture.

(05:23):
Some Republicans quietlyacknowledged the sincerity but
avoided engagement.
Booker wasn't trying to stop avote.
He was forcing a moralconversation into a room
obsessed with procedure.
Political analysts laterdescribed it as a masterclass in
symbolism a way to rallyattention around a neglected
group during a chaotic time.
The aftermath did it matter.

(05:45):
Within days, the shutdown ended.
A temporary budget was passed,benefits resumed, but here's
what changed.
Cory Booker's national profilesurged.
Veterans groups praised hisleadership.
The press covered the marathonas a standout moment of the
shutdown and when Bookerlaunched his 2020 presidential

(06:05):
campaign, this moment was citedagain and again as proof of his
values, the relationshipconnection when action matches
words.
So what does this have to dowith relationships?
Everything we talk a lot about?
What love looks like, whatcommitment means, what support
feels like.
Cory Booker didn't know everyveteran personally, but he

(06:28):
showed up for them anyway.
He used his voice to upliftthose who felt abandoned.
That's what true allyship isstanding for people, even when
it costs you time, comfort orpolitical points.
In our personal lives.
How often do we stay silentwhen our loved ones are hurting?
How often do we sit when weshould be standing?
Conclusion Stand for something.

(06:50):
Booker's 25-hour stand didn'tjust mark a moment in political
history.
It reminded us that standing upconsistently and publicly for
what's right is powerful.
It doesn't always require 25hours.
Sometimes it takes 25 secondsof courage.
Sometimes it means sending onetext, making one call or simply

(07:11):
not backing down.
You have power, you havepresence and you're the angles
on me.
They cut so deep.