US President Donald Trump is calling on the Senate to scrap the filibuster so the Republican majority can bypass Democrats and reopen the federal government.
“THE CHOICE IS CLEAR – Initiate the ‘Nuclear Option,’ GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTERS,” Trump posted Thursday night on his Truth Social network.
Trump met with foreign leaders in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea last week, ending his trip with a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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He called the trip a success, citing the trade truce with China and promises of foreign investment in American industry. But he noted that one recurring question during his visit was why “powerful Republicans allowed” Democrats to shut down parts of the government.
What is the nuclear option in the Senate?
The “nuclear option” in the US Senate refers to a parliamentary procedure that allows the Senate to change its rules, specifically those governing the filibuster, by a simple majority vote (51 votes) instead of the usual two-thirds supermajority (67 votes) required to change Senate rules.
What is a filibuster?
The filibuster, a Senate rule that usually requires 60 votes to pass legislation, has long been a point of contention in Washington. 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.
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However, these proposals did not gain full support in the party.
Trump’s call to end the filibuster came as some senators and House Speaker Mike Johnson said it was time for the government shutdown to end. It’s unclear whether lawmakers will follow Trump’s lead, rather than seek ways to negotiate with Democrats, the AP reported.
What are filibusters in government?
Filibusters became more common in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, leading to serious debate about changing Senate rules to limit the practice. By then the Senate had grown larger and busier, and the sheer amount of work to be done at each session meant that a bully senator could disrupt the body’s progress and extract concessions from senators who wanted their proposals passed.
A type of filibuster
The type of filibuster most familiar to Americans is a marathon speech by a small group of senators or even a single senator, such as the filibuster staged by fictional Senator Jefferson Smith in Frank Capra’s 1939 film Mr Smith Goes to Washington.
There have been several notable filibusters in the history of the US Senate. In 1917, for example, Wisconsin Senator Robert La Follette used the tactic to defend free speech during the war.
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The record for the longest individual filibuster speech is held by New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, who spoke for 25 hours and 5 minutes in April 2025, opposing policies of the Donald J. Trump administration.
“People are stressed”
From coast to coast, the effects of the shutdown’s dysfunctional federal government are hitting home: Alaskans are stocking up on moose, caribou and fish for the winter, even before SNAP food assistance is scheduled to end. Mainers are filling up their heating oil tanks, but waiting for federal subsidies that are nowhere in sight.
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Flights are delayed with holiday travel just around the corner. Workers are leaving without pay. And Americans are getting their first look at the skyrocketing health insurance costs at the center of the impasse on Capitol Hill.
“People are stressed,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, as food options in her state become increasingly scarce.
“We’re way past the time to get this over with.
Although behind-the-scenes discussions are taking place mainly between senators of both parties, the shutdown is unlikely to be resolved before Saturday’s deadline. At that point, the severity of food insecurity in the U.S., where one in eight people rely on government food assistance, could become painfully clear if federal SNAP funding runs out.
Money for the military, but not food aid
The White House has shifted money to ensure the military is paid, but refuses to draw funds for food aid. In fact, Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” signed this summer made the most significant cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, which is expected to result in about 2.4 million people off the program.
At the same time, many Americans who buy their own health insurance through the federal and state marketplaces, with open enrollment also starting Saturday, are experiencing sticker shock as premium prices jump.
“We’re holding food over poor people’s heads so we can take away their health care,” the Rev. Ryan Stoess said during a prayer with faith leaders at the U.S. Capitol.
“God help us,” he said, “when it comes to cruelty.”
The dates are being pushed to next week
The House was shut down under Johnson last month. The Senators are preparing to depart on Thursday for the long weekend. Trump returns late Thursday after a whirlwind tour of Asia.
That means the shutdown on the 30th is likely to stretch into another week if the filibuster remains. If the shutdown continues, it could become the longest in history, surpassing the 35-day period that ended in 2019, during Trump’s first term, over his demands to build a border wall between the US and Mexico.
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Another inflection point comes after Tuesday’s off-year elections — the New York City mayoral race, as well as elections in Virginia and New Jersey that will determine those states’ governors. Many expect that once those winners and losers are announced and Democrats and Republicans gauge their political standing with voters, they may be ready to resort to a deal.
“I hope this will allow people to move forward with opening up the government,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D.
GOP cuts SNAP in Trump’s big bill
Republicans, who hold majority control of Congress, find themselves in the unusual position of defending furloughed federal workers and shuttered programs they have long sought to cut — including, most recently, cutting Trump’s big tax breaks and spending nearly $1 trillion in spending.
Medicaid, the health care program, and SNAP food assistance took significant hits this summer, in part with the introduction of new work requirements. For SNAP recipients, many of whom were already required to work, the new requirements apply to older Americans under 64 and parents of school-age children.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Republicans now “have the audacity” to suggest this is a political strategy to withhold food aid.
“We’re trying to raise the quality of life for the American people,” Jeffries, from New York, said of his party.
“The American people understand that there is a Republican health care crisis,” he said. “The American people understand that the Republicans enacted the largest reduction in nutrition assistance in American history when they cut $186 billion from their single, big, ugly bill.”
Democrats are waiting to negotiate with Trump and Republicans to keep these subsidies. Republicans say they can address the issue later when the government reopens.
