And now, another fact of Congress.

Does it seem like lawmakers often talk for hours on end?

In order to prevent a vote on a bill, Senators will talk through the night.

This is called a 'filibuster'.

A filibuster allows a Senator to take control of the Senate floor by talking at great length.

Senate rules say that a vote can only occur when debate ends.

And if debate never ends, there is no vote!

The idea is to slow down the legislative process, creating more time for a particular issue to be considered.

A 3/5's Senate majority, or 60 votes, ends a filibuster.

The record for the longest filibuster goes to South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond, who held the Senate floor continuously for 24 hours and 18 minutes.

That's a lot of chatter!

And that's another Fact of Congress.