Senate Republican leadership quickly swatted down President Donald Trump’s push for the party to nuke the filibuster.
“Leader Thune’s position on the importance of the legislative filibuster is unchanged,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s spokesman Ryan Wrasse said in a statement on Friday.
A spokesperson for Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso also said the senator’s position has not changed. He told NOTUS earlier this month that nuking the filibuster to get out of the shutdown is “not in the cards.”
Trump has pushed for nuking the filibuster before on a number of issues, which would lower the votes needed to pass most legislation from 60 votes to a simple majority. But over the month-long government shutdown, a critical mass of Republican members have remained steadfastly against changing chamber rules as a means to restore government funding.
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The president late Thursday night wrote that “Majority Leader John Thune, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, are doing a GREAT job,” but that it is “now time for the Republicans to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’ and go for what is called the Nuclear Option.”
He added in a separate, characteristically all-caps post: “BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT THE DEMOCRATS HAVE GONE STONE COLD ‘CRAZY,’ THE CHOICE IS CLEAR — INITIATE THE ‘NUCLEAR OPTION,’ GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER AND, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Other rank-and-file Republicans also spoke out about their opposition to changing the rules. Sen. John Curtis posted on X: “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 demurred on Friday when asked about Trump’s filibuster comments.
“As I’ve said many times about the filibuster, it’s not my call,” Johnson said. “I don’t have a say in this. It’s a Senate chamber issue. We don’t have that in the House as you know. But the filibuster has traditionally been viewed as a very important safeguard. If the shoe was on the other foot, I don’t think our team would like it.”
To be sure, there are a handful of Senate Republicans who have signaled they’re at least open to the idea of altering the filibuster to get out of this current impasse. But with GOP leadership against the idea, there’s little sign that anything will change.
There’s also some hope among senators that the shutdown could be nearing an end. Several members said talks were picking up before heading out of town on Thursday, meaning conversations on changing the filibuster could be short circuited if members come to an agreement on government funding soon.
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