Former President Donald Trump is urging Republicans to abolish the Senate filibuster as a means to resolve the ongoing government shutdown, yet numerous members of his own party are resisting this proposal.
“It is now time for the Republicans to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’ and go for what is called the Nuclear Option—Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!” Trump stated on Truth Social on Thursday evening. “If we did what we should be doing, it would IMMEDIATELY end this ridiculous, Country destroying ‘SHUT DOWN.’”
The current shutdown, which , has already become the second longest in U.S. history, with no definitive resolution visible. Should the shutdown extend into the coming week, it is projected to surpass the longest in history, thereby exceeding the prior record of 34 days established during Trump’s initial presidency.
Certain Republican leaders have previously considered terminating the filibuster, a procedural tool enabling the minority party to obstruct legislation through extended debate, thus requiring a 60-vote supermajority for most bills to pass. Senator Bernie Moreno, a Republican from Ohio, remarked in an interview on Fox News earlier this month, “Maybe it’s time to think about the filibuster,” asserting that its removal would “open the government” once more.
However, numerous legislators within the President’s party have rejected the concept of doing away with the filibuster, underscoring its significant role.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune had earlier stated that abolishing it would be a “bad idea.”
“The 60-vote threshold has protected this country,” he commented earlier this month. A spokesperson for Thune informed on Friday that Thune’s position on this matter remains unchanged.
Senator John Curtis, a Republican representing Utah, posted on X on Friday, stating, “The filibuster forces us to find common ground in the Senate. Power changes hands, but principles shouldn’t. I’m a firm no on eliminating it.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, despite not being directly engaged in Senate affairs, cautioned against eliminating the filibuster during a press conference on Friday, although he noted that his perspective on the matter “is not relevant.”
“The filibuster has traditionally been viewed as a very important safeguard,” Johnson explained. “If the shoe was on the other foot, I don’t think our team would like it.”
Johnson refrained from openly criticizing the President concerning the issue, but implied that Trump’s comments stem from exasperation regarding the shutdown’s prolonged duration.
“What you’re seeing is an expression of the President’s anger at the situation,” Johnson concluded. “He is as angry as I am and the American people are about this madness, and he just desperately wants the government to be reopened.”