Overview
- President Trump intensified public pressure this week, repeating on Truth Social and in fresh remarks that Republicans should use the nuclear option to terminate the filibuster.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he does not have enough Republican votes to change the rule, with Senators John Curtis and Lisa Murkowski also opposing elimination.
- With a 53–47 split, Republicans cannot pass most legislation without at least seven Democratic votes because cloture still requires 60 senators.
- Democrats are using the filibuster to block a continuing funding bill as leverage to seek extensions of expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies during the ongoing shutdown.
- Analysts note the nuclear option could be applied narrowly to specific bill types, but for now the filibuster remains intact despite mounting partisan debate.