Sen. Cruz Ends Marathon Anti-Obamacare Speech

Began speaking at 1:40pmET yesterday, finished at noon today

WASHINGTON – His hand forced by Senate rules, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) ended a marathon speech Wednesday in opposition to the Affordable Care Act after holding the floor for more than 21 hours.

Cruz first took the floor at 2:41 pm EDT on Tuesday vowing to speak "until I am no longer able to stand." He did so throughout the night, with occasional assistance from colleagues, and into the morning. But in the end it was not fatigue but parliamentary procedure that ended the talk-fest, which technically was not a filibuster but ranks among the longest continuous speeches in the history of the Senate.