‘Initiate the nuclear option’: What is the filibuster and why Donald Trump wants to end it
The filibuster rule has enabled Democrats to block the Republican majority’s attempts to pass bills, including measures to reopen the government.
Back from a weeklong foreign trip, US President Donald Trump has called on the Senate to eliminate the filibuster in order to end the ongoing monthlong government shutdown.
Trump said in a post on his social media site Truth Social Thursday that “THE CHOICE IS CLEAR — INITIATE THE ‘NUCLEAR OPTION,’ GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER.” His intervention is expected to intensify tensions in the Senate.
The president’s demand marks a return to a long-standing position he has held since his first term . The filibuster rule has enabled Democrats to block the Republican majority’s attempts to pass bills, including measures to reopen the government.
What is a filibuster?
According to the US Senate’s official website, the filibuster is a Senate tradition of unlimited debate that allows lawmakers to delay or block votes on a bill, resolution, or amendment.
Before 1917, there was no formal mechanism to end a debate in the Senate. That year, senators adopted a rule allowing a two-thirds majority to invoke “cloture,” effectively ending debate and proceeding to a vote. In 1975, the threshold was lowered to three-fifths, or 60 out of 100 senators.
The filibuster has been a recurring source of partisan contention, with both parties at various times weighing the idea of abolishing it.
When Democrats held unified control of Washington four years ago, they debated doing away with it but ultimately backed off after several members warned that the move could backfire when the balance of power shifted.
Republicans reject Trump's idea
Similarly, in the current administration, Trump’s proposal to abolish the filibuster has met resistance from within his own party. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and several senior Republicans have dismissed the idea, arguing that the filibuster is essential to maintaining the Senate’s institutional integrity.
Thune has stated that there are not enough votes to change the rules, emphasising that such a step is not being considered at present.
“The filibuster forces us to find common ground in the Senate,” Republican senator John Curtis of Utah wrote on X, responding to Trump’s remarks. “Power changes hands, but principles shouldn’t. I’m a firm no on eliminating it.”
Progress stalled on ending shutdown
Trump’s call to scrap the filibuster comes amid a stalemate over the government shutdown that has stretched into its fourth week.
The president said he reflected on the issue during his flight home from Asia, questioning why “powerful Republicans allow” Democrats to block government funding bills.
While some quiet discussions are taking place among bipartisan groups of senators, there has been little tangible progress. Both chambers of Congress are currently out of session, making a resolution unlikely before next week.
Democrats have refused to vote on reopening the government unless Republicans agree to extend health care subsidies, while Republicans insist that negotiations can only proceed once the government resumes operations.
