President Trump is urging the Senate to adopt a “nuclear” approach by abolishing the filibuster rule, enabling Republicans to independently resolve the ongoing government shutdown.
Describing this tactic as a “Trump card,” the president is encouraging GOP senators to eliminate the traditional requirement of 60 votes for most legislative decisions, a rule that typically necessitates some backing from the minority party.
“The decision is straightforward: initiate the ‘nuclear option’ and eliminate the filibuster,” Trump expressed on his social media platform. “Get rid of it, now.”
By doing so, Republicans, who currently hold 53 Senate seats, could pass a temporary spending bill without needing to negotiate with Democrats, effectively reopening the government and halting the shutdown that began on October 1st.
Trump did not specify any restrictions on his suggestion to abolish the filibuster, such as limiting it to spending bills as some have proposed.
As of Friday, there was no immediate response from Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who has previously opposed this idea, nor from Democratic Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York.
Many Republicans are wary of scrapping the filibuster even though it would give them more power in the short term because they control both houses of Congress and the White House.
They fear Democrats could take advantage of a shift to strict majority rule to pass all sorts of legislation when or if they regain control of all three centers of power.
It’s not clear how Trump’s call might scramble the partisan standoff over the shutdown as it heads into a second month. Some Democrats and populist Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) have been calling for the move, saying GOP leaders are showing weakness by continuing to respect the filibuster.
Democrats have so far remained remarkably unified behind their leadership’s demand for negotiations over Trump’s health cuts and especially the Republican failure to extend Obamacare tax credits. More than 20 million Americans are receiving notice of skyrocketing health insurance premiums now that open enrollment periods are starting.
But pressure is mounting on both parties to end the shutdown as federal workers, including air traffic controllers and airport screeners, miss more paychecks and 42 million low-income people face a possible cutoff of SNAP food benefits Saturday.
Informal bipartisan talks on potential paths to end the shutdown have started between some senators, and aides privately say they hope to find a solution soon.
Democrats might be more willing to end the standoff after Tuesday’s off-year elections, which amount to the first major referendum on Trump’s right-wing second term agenda.
If Democrats notched wins in the New Jersey and Virginia governor’s race, the New York City mayoral contest, along with a closely watched California referendum on a Democratic redistricting push, they might reopen the government as a strategic retreat to claim the political upper hand ahead of next year’s crucial midterm elections.
