Trump wants the Senate to drop the filibuster rule so Republicans can end the shutdown with a simple majority vote.
As Republicans and Democrats battle for the upper hand in the federal government shutdown, President Donald Trump has zeroed in on a new target for potentially breaking the deadlock: eliminating the Senate filibuster.
In two Truth Social posts, Trump urged senators to end the chamber’s longstanding practice of requiring 60 votes to proceed to final consideration of legislation. The 60-vote threshold means that Republicans cannot simply rely on their own senators to pass legislation to fund the government; they also need to secure backing from seven or more Democrats, given the chamber’s 53-47 partisan breakdown.
Democrats have not supported a bill to continue federal funding during the shutdown, which has now entered its second month.
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