Overview
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune said there are not enough Republican votes to scrap or modify the 60‑vote threshold and urged focus on reopening the government.
- Sen. John Cornyn signaled openness to changes limited to spending bills, while Texas GOP challengers Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt endorsed fully ending the rule as they seek Trump’s favor.
- Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Ron Johnson publicly backed eliminating the filibuster after Trump’s push, and Sen. Josh Hawley cited looming SNAP disruptions to justify ending it to restore funding.
- Opposition remains firm from Republicans such as Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul and Thom Tillis, who warn Democrats could later use a simple majority to advance their agenda.
- Republicans hold 53 Senate seats, and using the nuclear option would drop most legislation to a simple‑majority vote, but the conference lacks consensus even as the shutdown stretches into a fifth week.