Overview
- Speaker Mike Johnson reaffirmed support for preserving the Senate filibuster, calling it an important safeguard despite the president’s push to scrap it.
- Rep. Byron Donalds urged Majority Leader John Thune in a formal letter to use the nuclear option to abolish the rule, drawing public backing from several House conservatives.
- Senate GOP leaders, including Thune, rejected changing the filibuster, maintaining that the rule protects the institution even under shutdown pressure.
- Republicans hold 53 Senate seats, leaving them short of the 60 votes needed to advance most legislation, and only two Democrats and one independent crossed over on the latest funding vote.
- The shutdown has stretched into a second month, with missed pay for about 1.4 million federal workers and heightened uncertainty for SNAP benefits cited by supporters of drastic action.