President Donald Trump has thrown himself into the debate over the US government shutdown, calling on the Senate to eliminate the filibuster and reopen the government.
But that idea was quickly rejected Friday by Republican leaders who have long opposed such a move.
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The filibuster refers to the Senate rule that requires 60 votes to overcome objections. Currently, this rule gives the Democratic minority control over Republican power in the Senate.
In the chamber currently divided 53-47, Democrats received enough votes to keep the government closed while demanding an extension of health care subsidies. However, neither side seriously wanted to strike Al Qaeda with nuclear weapons.
“The choice is clear: start with the nuclear option and get rid of the filibuster,” Trump said in a late-night tweet on social media. mail Thursday.
Trump’s surprise decision to assert himself amid the 31-day shutdown — with his highly charged demand to end the filibuster — is sure to put the Senate on edge. That could prompt senators to reach their own compromise or send the chamber toward a new sense of crisis. Or perhaps it is ignored.
Republican leaders responded quickly and unequivocally, putting themselves at odds with Trump, a president few have dared to confront publicly.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has repeatedly said he is not considering changing the rules to end the shutdown, arguing that it is vital to the institution of the Senate and has allowed Republicans to stop Democratic policies when they are in the minority.
Thune’s spokesman, Ryan Wrasse, said Friday that the leader’s “position on the importance of the legislative filibuster has not changed.”
A spokeswoman for Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the GOP’s No. 2, said his position opposing changing the filibuster has not changed either.
Former Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who strongly opposed Trump’s appeals in his first term, remains a senator.
House Speaker Mike Johnson also defended the filibuster on Friday, while acknowledging that it was “not my decision” from his chamber across the Capitol.
“The Senate has always been the obstructionist,” Johnson said, adding that Trump’s comments were a reflection of the president’s “anger at the situation.”
Even if Thune wanted to change the filibuster, he would not currently have the votes to do so in a divided Senate.
“The filibuster forces us to find common ground in the Senate,” Republican Senator John Curtis of Utah said on the X social media platform Friday morning in response to Trump’s comments. “Power changes from one hand to another, but principles should not change. I strongly reject its elimination.”
The legislative filibuster has been debated for years. Many Democrats pushed for its removal when they had full power in Washington, as Republicans do now, four years ago.
But eventually, enough Democratic senators opposed the move that they predicted such a measure would come back to haunt them.
Trump’s request comes at a time when he refuses to deal with Democratic leaders on ways to end the closure, which is on track to become the longest in history.
He said in his post that he thought “a great deal” about his choice while returning home from Asia, and that the only question that kept coming up during his trip was why “powerful Republicans” allow Democrats to shut down parts of the government.
But later Friday, he did not mention the filibuster again when he spoke to reporters who had left Washington and arrived in Florida to spend the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago home.
Although quiet talks are ongoing, especially between senators from both the Republican and Democratic parties, Trump has not seriously participated.
Democrats refuse to vote on reopening the government until Republicans negotiate an extension of health care support. Republicans say they will not negotiate until the government reopens.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told CNN that Trump needs to start negotiating with Democrats, arguing that the president has spent more time with global leaders than dealing with the shutdown at home.
From coast to coast, the repercussions of the dysfunction of a closed federal government are hitting home. SNAP food assistance is scheduled to be discontinued. Flights are postponed. Workers go without salaries.
Americans are getting their first glimpse of the sky-high health insurance costs that are at the heart of the dilemma.
“People are feeling stressed,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, as food options become increasingly scarce in her state. “It’s long past time to put this behind us.”
