Overview
- In a late-night Truth Social post, President Donald Trump called on Republicans to use the “nuclear option” to abolish the filibuster and pass a funding bill to end the shutdown.
- Eliminating the 60-vote threshold would let the GOP advance legislation with a simple majority in a chamber where Republicans hold 53 seats.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune has repeatedly defended keeping the legislative filibuster, and reporting indicates Republicans likely lack the votes to change it, a point Vice President JD Vance privately acknowledged.
- Senate Democrats have withheld votes on short-term funding as they push to extend Affordable Care Act premium tax credits and reverse planned Medicaid cuts.
- The shutdown has entered its 31st day with growing fallout, including risks to SNAP benefits and air-traffic operations, and the CBO estimates a near-term economic cost of $7 billion to $14 billion.