Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on Monday that there was insufficient support among Senate Republicans to invoke the so-called nuclear option and end the upper chamber’s filibuster rule.
“The votes aren’t there,” Thune (R-SD) told reporters on Monday, according to Politico. When asked if he had spoken with President Trump about the issue, Thune reportedly laughed and responded “Oh, yeah.”
Last week, President Trump had urged Senate Republicans to change a procedural rule requiring legislation to receive at least 60 yes votes before moving forward. He argued that without needing to hit the 60-vote threshold, Republicans could end the “country destroying” govt shutdown – now in its 34th day – with a simple majority vote, New York Post reported.
“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 demanded in a Truth Social post last Thursday. The president re-upped the demand in an interview with “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday.
“I know John doesn’t – well, John and a few others – but you know what, the Republicans have to get tougher,” Trump said, acknowledging reluctance among some Republicans to set a precedent that Democrats could use if they take control of the Senate. “I disagree with him on this point,” he added in reference to Thune’s pro-filibuster stance.
In his first floor speech of the 119th Congress, Thune defended the filibuster as a tool that the “Founders intended” to “ensure that the Senate stays the Senate.” “They made the Senate smaller and senators’ terms of office longer, with the intention of creating a more stable, more thoughtful, and more deliberative legislative body to check ill-considered or intemperate legislation and protect the rights of the American people,” he said.
Under former President Joe Biden, Senate Democrats tried but failed to abolish the filibuster. The party encountered opposition from centrist Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona – both of whom later switched their affiliations to independent – when they attempted the gambit.
All but three Democrats have voted to block a House-passed bill to fund the government through Nov. 21 more than a dozen times since the start of the shutdown on October 1. Republicans need five more Democrats to break ranks to clear the filibuster threshold.
What is Filibuster?
A filibuster is a procedural tactic in the US Senate that allows a minority of senators to delay or block a vote on legislation by extending debate. Unlike the House of Representatives, the Senate imposes few constraints on lawmakers’ right to speak, enabling senators to use chamber rules to hinder or stall votes. Under current practice, a senator need only inform party leaders—and often announce publicly—that they intend to filibuster; no marathon speech is required. To overcome a filibuster, the Senate must secure 60 votes to invoke cloture. If successful, debate ends and final passage proceeds by simple majority.
The tactic first appeared in Senate records in the mid-19th century but is not mentioned in the Constitution and was not part of the Founding Fathers’ original design. Historians trace its origins to 1805, when Vice President Aaron Burr criticised the chamber’s rule book as redundant and overly complicated. Over time, the filibuster evolved into a mechanism by which a determined minority could stall legislation, PBS reported.
Public perception of the filibuster was shaped by the 1939 film, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” in which James Stewart portrayed a senator speaking on the Senate floor until exhaustion. Today, the tactic bears little resemblance to that portrayal, yet the requirement for 60 votes to advance most legislation remains unchanged.
Isn’t the filibuster already gone?
Efforts to curtail the filibuster began in 2013, when then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., led Senate Democrats in eliminating the filibuster for all nominations except those to the Supreme Court, triggering what came to be known in the Senate as the “nuclear option.” The change responded to repeated Republican filibusters of President Barack Obama’s nominees, particularly to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In 2017, Senate Republicans extended the nuclear option to Supreme Court nominees to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the high court.
Former President Donald Trump suggested on Truth Social that abolishing the filibuster would help Republicans secure “the best Judges” and the “best US Attorneys,” though a simple majority already suffices for such appointments. In 2022, Democrats came close to removing the legislative filibuster to advance voting rights legislation but were blocked by Senators Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who warned that ending the filibuster would backfire if Republicans regained control of both Congress and the White House.
Earlier this year, Senate Republicans further amended rules to expedite confirmation of large groups of non-controversial executive branch nominees, while resisting calls from Trump to eliminate “blue slips”—a practice allowing home-state senators approval over certain lower court judgeships.
Why Trump wants to get rid of filibuster?
Getting rid of it would be a way for Republicans to immediately end the now month-long shutdown, he said. “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!” the president wrote on his social media site Thursday night.
But majority Republicans have strongly resisted calls to eliminate the legislative filibuster, since it would dilute their power if and when they are in the minority again. In its best form, the filibuster encourages compromise and dealmaking.
The filibuster has become central to negotiations over a potential govt shutdown. With Republicans controlling 53 seats in the Senate, they lack the 60-vote threshold needed to advance funding legislation without Democratic support. In exchange for voting for a short-term funding bill, most Democrats have demanded an extension of subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans have rejected that demand as too costly for a seven-week continuing resolution.
As the threat of a shutdown grew, some Republicans proposed eliminating the filibuster to neutralise Democratic leverage. “Maybe it’s time to think about the filibuster,” said Senator Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, on Fox News. “Let’s just vote with Republicans. We’ve got 52 Republicans. Let’s go, and let’s open the government. It may get to that.”
“The votes aren’t there,” Thune (R-SD) told reporters on Monday, according to Politico. When asked if he had spoken with President Trump about the issue, Thune reportedly laughed and responded “Oh, yeah.”
Last week, President Trump had urged Senate Republicans to change a procedural rule requiring legislation to receive at least 60 yes votes before moving forward. He argued that without needing to hit the 60-vote threshold, Republicans could end the “country destroying” govt shutdown – now in its 34th day – with a simple majority vote, New York Post reported.
“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 demanded in a Truth Social post last Thursday. The president re-upped the demand in an interview with “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday.
“I know John doesn’t – well, John and a few others – but you know what, the Republicans have to get tougher,” Trump said, acknowledging reluctance among some Republicans to set a precedent that Democrats could use if they take control of the Senate. “I disagree with him on this point,” he added in reference to Thune’s pro-filibuster stance.
In his first floor speech of the 119th Congress, Thune defended the filibuster as a tool that the “Founders intended” to “ensure that the Senate stays the Senate.” “They made the Senate smaller and senators’ terms of office longer, with the intention of creating a more stable, more thoughtful, and more deliberative legislative body to check ill-considered or intemperate legislation and protect the rights of the American people,” he said.
Under former President Joe Biden, Senate Democrats tried but failed to abolish the filibuster. The party encountered opposition from centrist Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona – both of whom later switched their affiliations to independent – when they attempted the gambit.
All but three Democrats have voted to block a House-passed bill to fund the government through Nov. 21 more than a dozen times since the start of the shutdown on October 1. Republicans need five more Democrats to break ranks to clear the filibuster threshold.
What is Filibuster?
A filibuster is a procedural tactic in the US Senate that allows a minority of senators to delay or block a vote on legislation by extending debate. Unlike the House of Representatives, the Senate imposes few constraints on lawmakers’ right to speak, enabling senators to use chamber rules to hinder or stall votes. Under current practice, a senator need only inform party leaders—and often announce publicly—that they intend to filibuster; no marathon speech is required. To overcome a filibuster, the Senate must secure 60 votes to invoke cloture. If successful, debate ends and final passage proceeds by simple majority.
The tactic first appeared in Senate records in the mid-19th century but is not mentioned in the Constitution and was not part of the Founding Fathers’ original design. Historians trace its origins to 1805, when Vice President Aaron Burr criticised the chamber’s rule book as redundant and overly complicated. Over time, the filibuster evolved into a mechanism by which a determined minority could stall legislation, PBS reported.
Public perception of the filibuster was shaped by the 1939 film, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” in which James Stewart portrayed a senator speaking on the Senate floor until exhaustion. Today, the tactic bears little resemblance to that portrayal, yet the requirement for 60 votes to advance most legislation remains unchanged.
Isn’t the filibuster already gone?
Efforts to curtail the filibuster began in 2013, when then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., led Senate Democrats in eliminating the filibuster for all nominations except those to the Supreme Court, triggering what came to be known in the Senate as the “nuclear option.” The change responded to repeated Republican filibusters of President Barack Obama’s nominees, particularly to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In 2017, Senate Republicans extended the nuclear option to Supreme Court nominees to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the high court.
Former President Donald Trump suggested on Truth Social that abolishing the filibuster would help Republicans secure “the best Judges” and the “best US Attorneys,” though a simple majority already suffices for such appointments. In 2022, Democrats came close to removing the legislative filibuster to advance voting rights legislation but were blocked by Senators Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who warned that ending the filibuster would backfire if Republicans regained control of both Congress and the White House.
Earlier this year, Senate Republicans further amended rules to expedite confirmation of large groups of non-controversial executive branch nominees, while resisting calls from Trump to eliminate “blue slips”—a practice allowing home-state senators approval over certain lower court judgeships.
Why Trump wants to get rid of filibuster?
Getting rid of it would be a way for Republicans to immediately end the now month-long shutdown, he said. “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!” the president wrote on his social media site Thursday night.
But majority Republicans have strongly resisted calls to eliminate the legislative filibuster, since it would dilute their power if and when they are in the minority again. In its best form, the filibuster encourages compromise and dealmaking.
The filibuster has become central to negotiations over a potential govt shutdown. With Republicans controlling 53 seats in the Senate, they lack the 60-vote threshold needed to advance funding legislation without Democratic support. In exchange for voting for a short-term funding bill, most Democrats have demanded an extension of subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans have rejected that demand as too costly for a seven-week continuing resolution.
As the threat of a shutdown grew, some Republicans proposed eliminating the filibuster to neutralise Democratic leverage. “Maybe it’s time to think about the filibuster,” said Senator Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, on Fox News. “Let’s just vote with Republicans. We’ve got 52 Republicans. Let’s go, and let’s open the government. It may get to that.”
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