President Donald Trump just dropped a political bombshell, urging Senate Republicans to ditch the longstanding 60-vote filibuster rule to break the deadlock of a government shutdown.
Trump is urging Senate Republicans to scrap the longstanding filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes to pass most legislation, as a way to bypass Democratic opposition and end the ongoing government shutdown, according to NBC News. In a fiery late-night social media post on Thursday, he declared it’s time to “play their ‘TRUMP CARD’” and go for the “Nuclear Option” to kill the rule.
Yet, within hours of Trump’s call to action, a chorus of Republican senators slammed the brakes on the idea. Resistance from party heavyweights signals a rare fracture between the president and his own allies over a tool many see as a safeguard for balanced governance.
New Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota reaffirmed his commitment to keeping the filibuster intact. A spokesman for Thune emphasized on Friday that the leader’s position “is unchanged” on preserving this legislative hurdle.
Sen. John Curtis of Utah echoed the sentiment on social media, stating, “The filibuster forces us to find common ground in the Senate.” Power may shift, but tossing out core principles for short-term wins is a dangerous game that could backfire when the tables turn.
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming also doubled down, with a spokesperson confirming his unwavering support for the rule. Other senators, like Thom Tillis of North Carolina, have gone so far as to say they’d resign if the GOP caves on this issue.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma flat-out rejected abolishing the filibuster, calling it a nonstarter. He did leave a sliver of room for a narrow tweak to prevent future shutdowns, but stressed that going fully nuclear would haunt Republicans when they’re back in the minority.
Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas similarly dismissed any move to weaken the rule just to pass a funding bill. Such a precedent could unleash unchecked power grabs by whichever party holds the reins next, a risk too steep for a momentary victory.
Even Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio, despite pressure from fellow Ohioan Bernie Moreno, who publicly pushed for scrapping the filibuster on Fox News, held the line. Husted told reporters it’s “not a step” the party should take, highlighting a deeper unease with rewriting Senate tradition for expediency.
The filibuster, requiring 60 votes for cloture since 1975, has long been a thorn in the side of majority agendas but a shield for minority voices. Republicans expanded exceptions this year through budget reconciliation processes, yet most remain wary of a full repeal, fearing what a Democratic majority could ram through unchecked.
Thune himself warned on Oct. 10 that the 60-vote threshold has “protected this country” from radical shifts, pointing to potential Democratic policies like expansive abortion laws or statehood for D.C. and Puerto Rico if the rule vanished. His words paint a stark picture of why many in his party view the filibuster as a firewall against a progressive overreach.
House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, while noting it’s not his domain, acknowledged the filibuster’s role as a “very important safeguard.” His measured take underscores a broader Republican instinct to preserve mechanisms that could one day shield their own priorities from a hostile majority.
Democrats, meanwhile, have tossed fuel on the fire, daring Republicans to ditch the filibuster and fund the government solo if they refuse bipartisan talks. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania even endorsed a carve-out for funding bills, arguing it could prevent future shutdowns, a position that flips the script on his party’s past criticisms.
Trump’s Thursday posts also recalled Democrats’ failed 2022 bid to gut the rule for voting rights legislation, warning that they’d pounce on any chance to do so if back in power. His urgency hasn’t swayed key GOP figures yet, as Sen. Bernie Moreno admitted two weeks later, he’s made no headway convincing colleagues to budge.
This standoff isn’t just about a shutdown; it’s a test of whether raw political muscle can override institutional guardrails. For now, Senate Republicans seem poised to hold the line, betting that preserving the filibuster’s check on power outweighs the lure of a quick win, even if it means defying their own president’s charge.
