Overview
- President Trump told Politico the Senate should scrap the 60-vote rule "without question," arguing it would prevent another shutdown and clear the way for GOP priorities such as healthcare.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent used a Washington Post op-ed to fault Democrats’ filibuster for the 43-day shutdown, citing $11 billion in permanent losses, a 1.5-point GDP hit, 9,500 canceled flights, and delayed pay for 1.4 million federal workers.
- Trump amplified Bessent’s call by posting the op-ed on Truth Social and repeating that it is time to end the filibuster.
- The Senate stands at 53 Republicans to 47 Democrats, so neither party can defeat a filibuster alone, and Republicans including Majority Leader John Thune and Sen. John Kennedy have publicly opposed eliminating the rule.
- Bessent pointed to earlier bipartisan moves limiting the filibuster for nominations in 2013 and 2017 to argue the Senate can function without the supermajority requirement for most legislation.