House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Cory Booker staged a 12-hour sit-in protest on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Sunday, denouncing the Republican-backed 2026 budget proposal that includes sweeping cuts to key social programs.
Branded as an “Urgent Conversation with the American People,” the event was livestreamed throughout the day and drew participation from fellow Democratic lawmakers, civil rights leaders, and union representatives. The sit-in comes as Congress prepares to reconvene, with Democrats aiming to stall what they call a “reckless” Republican funding plan backed by President Donald Trump.
The GOP’s proposed 2026 fiscal year budget reportedly includes major cuts to Medicaid, food assistance programs, education funding, housing support, childcare, and services for seniors — all while advancing tax breaks for the wealthy.
“Republican leaders are pushing a dangerous budget scheme that guts Medicaid, slashes food assistance, and undercuts basic needs programs — all to hand tax giveaways to billionaires,” Jeffries and Booker stated jointly. “This is one of the most consequential moments for American families in generations.”
Booker echoed that sentiment in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “This is a moral moment in America. Sitting on the Capitol steps with Leader Jeffries to speak truth about what’s at stake under Trump’s budget.”
The sit-in began at approximately 6 a.m. and concluded after 6 p.m., featuring appearances by Senators Raphael Warnock, Chris Coons, Angela Alsobrooks, and Representatives Sarah McBride, Maxwell Frost, Gil Cisneros, and Gabe Amo. Prominent activists and union leaders also joined, including Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers and Becky Pringle of the National Education Association.
Pringle criticized the Trump administration’s budget plan as “the greatest assault on public education this country has ever seen.”
Civil rights leader Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II joined to emphasize the humanitarian cost of the proposed budget, which many Democrats argue disproportionately harms low-income families and working-class Americans.
Sunday’s sit-in is part of a broader movement by Democrats and independents to adopt more visible and physical forms of protest against the Trump administration’s legislative agenda. Earlier this month, Booker broke the Senate’s record for longest floor speech, speaking for over 25 hours to oppose the GOP’s reconciliation bill.
Meanwhile, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have launched a national “Fighting Oligarchy” tour to draw attention to corporate influence and rising income inequality. On NBC’s Meet the Press, Sanders warned that Democrats must offer a bold vision or risk losing support from working-class voters.
During the sit-in, Capitol visitors and curious onlookers stopped to listen, some joining the discussion and contributing to what Booker called “a moment of civic truth.”
As the GOP budget plan heads to Congress, Democratic leaders like Jeffries and Booker continue to rally public support, vowing to protect Medicaid, nutrition programs, and housing assistance from what they view as devastating Republican-led cuts.
