US President Donald Trump has called for a “nuclear option” to scrap the key 60-vote threshold the Senate needs to pass legislation. Trump’s announcement came as the US government has been shut down for more than 30 days.
Abolishing the key vote threshold would eliminate a long-standing rule that allows 41 of 100 senators to block any bill from debate or a vote — a procedural check on power that both parties have relied on in the past.
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The attacker is effectively forcing Democrats and Republicans to find a bipartisan solution.
“Now is the 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 wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform Thursday night.
“Well, WE are in power now, and if we did what we’re supposed to do, this ridiculous, earth-shattering ‘SHUTDOWN’ would end IMMEDIATELY,” Trump added in the post.
What “nuclear option” is Trump talking about?
The filibuster, a Senate rule that usually requires 60 votes to pass legislation, has long been a point of contention in Washington. In the Senate, a long-standing tactic is to delay or block a vote on legislation by keeping the debate flowing.
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It takes 60 votes in the full Senate to overcome a filibuster, giving Democrats control of the 53-seat Republican majority that led to the start of the shutdown on Oct. 1, when the new fiscal year began.
Trump pointed out that several Democratic senators, including senators under then-President Joe Biden, had previously called for changes to the rule to ensure voting rights and access to abortion.
However, these proposals did not gain full support in the party.
Trump went on to argue that Democrats would not hesitate to overturn the filibuster if given the chance to advance their own legislative priorities, such as statehood for Puerto Rico and Washington, DC.
“Well, WE are in power now, and if we did what we should do, it would IMMEDIATELY end this ridiculous, earth-destroying ‘Shutdown,'” Trump wrote.
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He added: “If the Democrats ever come back to power, which would be easier for them if the Republicans didn’t use the great power and politics that we have by ending the Filibuster, the Democrats will exercise their rights and it will happen on the first day they take office, whether we do it or not.”
US government shutdown
The federal shutdown began on October 1. It meant that thousands of federal workers would receive no pay and that essential government functions across the US would be halted.
From slowing air travel to halting some airports, to preventing the release of federal GDP data to jobless national parks, many essential government services across the United States have been affected.
Food stamps are quickly becoming one of the most pressing sticking points, with 42 million low-income Americans losing access to vital help with their food bills starting Saturday.
About 23.7 million SNAP recipients live in states that voted for Donald Trump in the last presidential election, while 18 million recipients live in states and counties that voted for Democrats.
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The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the shutdown could cost the economy as much as $14 billion.
It’s not clear how the filibuster removal would work — whether the vote threshold would be lowered, or whether some bills could be immune, or whether so-called speaking filibusters could be revived, in which senators must make long speeches to prevent trade from developing.
Trump unsuccessfully pushed for an end to the filibuster in his first term.
(With input from agencies)
