WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is calling on the Senate to scrap the filibuster, enabling the Republican majority to bypass Democrats and reopen the federal government.
“THE CHOICE IS CLEAR: INITIATE THE ‘NUCLEAR OPTION,’ GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER,” Trump posted Thursday night on his social media site, Truth Social.
The filibuster is a long-standing Senate tactic used to delay or block votes on legislation by extending debate. Overcoming a filibuster requires 60 votes in the full Senate, which gives Democrats a check on the 53-seat Republican majority. This dynamic led to the government shutdown that began on October 1, coinciding with the start of the new fiscal year.
Trump’s call to terminate the filibuster could significantly alter Senate operations and congressional dealmaking. In his post, the president said he gave “a great deal” of thought to the issue during his flight back from Asia on Thursday.
### Trump’s Asia Trip and Government Shutdown Concerns
Over the past week, Trump met with foreign leaders in Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea, concluding his tour by meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He declared the trip a success, citing a trade truce with China and planned foreign investments in American industries.
However, one question surfaced repeatedly during his time abroad: why did “powerful Republicans allow” Democrats to shut down parts of the government?
Trump’s call to end the filibuster comes as certain senators and House Speaker Mike Johnson advocate for ending the government shutdown. It remains unclear if lawmakers will follow Trump’s lead or choose to negotiate with Democrats instead.
### Impact of the Shutdown Across the U.S.
From coast to coast, the consequences of the federal government shutdown are becoming apparent:
– Alaskans are stockpiling moose, caribou, and fish for winter, even as SNAP food aid is scheduled to be cut off.
– Mainers are filling their home-heating oil tanks but are still waiting on federal subsidies that have yet to materialize.
– Flights are being delayed as holiday travel approaches.
– Federal workers are going without paychecks.
– Americans are facing skyrocketing health insurance costs, which are at the center of the Capitol Hill stalemate.
“People are stressing,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, as food options in her state grow scarce. “We are well past time to have this behind us.”
While quiet bipartisan talks continue, the shutdown is not expected to end before Saturday’s deadline. This deadline is critical because it could sharply worsen food insecurity for the one in eight Americans who depend on government assistance to have enough to eat if SNAP funds run dry.
### Military Funding Prioritized, But Food Aid Left Unaddressed
The White House has shifted funds to ensure the military continues to be paid but refuses to tap into funds for food aid.
In fact, Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” signed into law this summer included the most substantial cut ever to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is projected to remove about 2.4 million people from the program.
At the same time, many Americans purchasing health insurance through federal and state marketplaces face sticker shock as premium prices rise sharply with open enrollment beginning Saturday.
“We are holding food over the heads of poor people so that we can take away their health care,” said Reverend Ryan Stoess during a prayer with religious leaders at the U.S. Capitol. “God help us,” he said, “when the cruelty is the point.”
### Deadlines and Political Calculations
The House has been closed under Speaker Johnson’s leadership for the past month, and many senators are preparing to leave Thursday for the long weekend. President Trump returns late Thursday after his whirlwind Asia tour.
This means the shutdown — now in its 30th day — is likely to continue into next week if the filibuster remains intact. If the shutdown persists, it could become the longest in U.S. history, surpassing the 35-day lapse in 2019 during Trump’s first term, which occurred amid demands to build the U.S.-Mexico border wall.
The next critical moment is after Tuesday’s off-year elections, including the New York City mayoral race and gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey. Many expect that once election outcomes are clear and both parties assess their political standing, they may be ready to negotiate an end to the shutdown.
“I hope that it frees people up to move forward with opening the government,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
### GOP Faces Unusual Position Defending Cuts They Made
Republicans, holding a congressional majority, find themselves in the unusual position of defending furloughed federal workers and shuttered programs they have long sought to cut.
This summer’s nearly $1 trillion tax and spending legislation included substantial reductions affecting Medicaid and SNAP. Part of these cuts involved imposing new work requirements on aid recipients.
For SNAP, many recipients were already required to work, but new requirements have been extended to include older Americans up to age 64 and parents of older school-age children.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized Republicans, saying they now “have the nerve” to frame withholding food aid as a political tactic.
“We are trying to lift up the quality of life for the American people,” Jeffries said. “The American people understand that there’s a Republican health care crisis. The American people understand Republicans enacted the largest cut to nutritional assistance in American history when they cut $186 billion in their one, big, ugly bill.”
During the summer debate, Speaker Johnson and other Republicans condemned what they characterized as lazy Americans “riding the gravy train” of government benefits. Johnson cited able-bodied young men playing video games while receiving Medicaid and insisted that new work requirements would root out what he described as “waste, fraud, and abuse.”
“What we’re talking about, again, is able-bodied workers, many of whom are refusing to work because they’re gaming the system,” Johnson said in the spring on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “And when we make them work, it’ll be better for everybody, a win-win-win for all,” he added.
### Health Care Costs and Future Negotiations
What remains unresolved is relief from rising health care premiums, which are expected to place insurance out of reach for many Americans. These costs will become more acute when federal subsidies that help offset them expire at year’s end.
Democrats have insisted on negotiating with Trump and Republicans to keep these subsidies in place.
Republicans counter that they can address the issue after the government reopens.
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As the government shutdown continues, the stakes remain high for millions of Americans relying on federal aid programs and affordable health care, while political negotiations remain at an impasse.
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/31/nx-s1-5591978/trump-senate-scrap-filibuster-end-government-shutdown