The top two Republicans in Congress made clear Friday that they do not support former President Donald Trump’s call to eliminate the Senate filibuster in order to pass a budget resolution and reopen the federal government. The stance underscores a long-running divide within the Republican Party over how far to go in reshaping Senate rules to achieve legislative goals.
Trump, who has repeatedly pushed for ending the filibuster since 2017, renewed that demand Thursday night on his Truth Social account. In his post, he wrote: “….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!”
The Senate filibuster currently requires most legislation to secure 60 votes to move forward, effectively forcing bipartisan support for major bills. While Trump’s allies have often criticized the rule as an obstacle to achieving conservative goals, Republican congressional leaders have consistently defended it as a key safeguard.
On Friday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., reaffirmed his opposition. His communications director stated, “Leader Thune’s position on the importance of the legislative filibuster is unchanged.” Thune also explained on The Ben Shapiro Show that the filibuster has prevented Democrats from passing legislation when they controlled the Senate, pointing specifically to a previous elections bill that would have expanded federal authority over how states conduct elections.
“It’s all about political power,” Thune said. He argued that instead of changing Senate rules, the solution to reopening the government should come through bipartisan votes: “I just think that we ought to be able to do this the old-fashioned way, and that is, open up the government by just having five more Democrats vote with us.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also rejected the idea of scrapping the filibuster. While Johnson has no direct role in Senate procedural rules, he pointed to Democratic proposals he said could advance if the requirement for 60 votes were abolished. He listed ideas such as expanding the Supreme Court, granting statehood to Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, and imposing new federal firearm restrictions.
“[Democrats] would pack the Supreme Court, they would make Puerto Rico and in D.C. states, they would ban firearms,” Johnson told reporters. “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.”
Johnson added that Trump’s recent comments reflected frustration with the ongoing shutdown and its consequences. “He is as angry as I am, and the American people are about this madness,” Johnson said. “He just desperately wants the government to be reopened so that all these resources can flow to the people who need it so much.”
Democrats attempted to eliminate the legislative filibuster in January 2022, when then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sought to change the rules to pass a voting rights bill. That effort failed after two Democrats — Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona — joined Republicans in opposing the move.
The latest tension comes as the federal government remains partially shut down, with negotiations stalled and neither party showing signs of backing down. For now, Republicans in Congress appear unwilling to change the Senate’s structure, even under pressure from their party’s most influential figure.
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