President Trump’s latest crusade to ditch the Senate filibuster has ignited a firestorm within his own party, as the government shutdown drags into its second month.
According to The Hill, with frustration boiling over, Trump is urging Senate Republicans to use the so-called "nuclear option" to bypass the 60-vote threshold for legislation, hoping to break the deadlock that’s left government programs teetering and airports in chaos.
This isn’t Trump’s first rodeo with the filibuster; he’s been banging this drum since his first term, arguing it’s a roadblock to getting things done.
Late Thursday, Trump took to Truth Social to vent, warning that Republicans could face political doom if Democrats reclaim power without the filibuster in place to check them.
“If the Democrats ever came back into power, which would be made easier for them if the Republicans are not using the Great Strength and Policies made available to us by ending the Filibuster, the Democrats will exercise their rights, and it will be done in the first day they take office, regardless of whether or not we do it,” Trump posted on Truth Social. Talk about a dire prediction, but isn’t it a bit rich to assume Democrats would play hardball while ignoring the risk of GOP overreach if the safeguard vanishes?
Coming off a trip to Asia to hammer out trade deals with China, Japan, and South Korea, Trump’s impatience with the shutdown seems to have hit a tipping point.
Yet, despite the president’s fervor, key Republican heavyweights aren’t budging on preserving the filibuster. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, through a spokesperson, reiterated his unwavering support for keeping the 60-vote rule intact.
Sen. John Curtis of Utah doubled down on X, declaring, “I’m a firm no” on scrapping the filibuster. Well, that’s a brick wall if there ever was one—Curtis clearly sees the rule as a necessary brake on runaway power, no matter who’s in charge. Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana echoed the caution, warning that without the filibuster, a Democratic majority could ram through drastic changes like statehood for D.C. and Puerto Rico or meddling with the Supreme Court.
The government shutdown, now a grinding ordeal, remains the backdrop to this filibuster fight, with any funding fix needing at least seven Democrats to join all 53 Republicans in the Senate to clear the 60-vote hurdle. Some GOP senators have floated tweaking filibuster rules if Democrats keep stonewalling, though mustering enough support for such a drastic move looks like a long shot.
Trump, meanwhile, has kept his distance from Capitol Hill’s nitty-gritty negotiations, with allies suggesting he sees no urgent need to dive in when his broader agenda keeps chugging along. On Friday, while heading to Florida, he insisted he’d only sit down with Democrats after the government reopens.
Thune and other Republican leaders are scrambling for other ways to end the impasse, even floating concessions like a vote to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies past December if it gets moderate Democrats to the table. It’s a pragmatic move, but will it be enough to thaw the partisan ice?
Let’s not forget, Democrats themselves toyed with altering the filibuster during Trump’s first term for issues like voting rights and abortion legislation, only to see their efforts fizzle due to a lack of party unity. If history’s any guide, tampering with Senate rules is a Pandora’s box neither side fully trusts.
For now, Trump’s filibuster fight seems more like a pressure tactic than a winning strategy, reflecting his exasperation with Democrats’ refusal to back a GOP funding plan to maintain current spending levels. Some close to him say this latest outburst is pure frustration at a shutdown that’s hurting everyday Americans.
While the president’s heart may be in the right place—wanting to reopen government and get resources flowing—dismantling a long-standing Senate tradition could be a cure worse than the disease. Republicans like Johnson and Curtis aren’t wrong to worry about a future where unchecked majorities, on either side, rewrite the rules of the game. Let’s hope cooler heads prevail before this shutdown, or the filibuster debate burns down the house.