President Donald J. Trump has ramped up pressure on Senate Republicans to kill the filibuster, as Democrats drag out the government shutdown.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump argued that if the GOP did not eliminate the filibuster, “FOR THREE YEARS, NOTHING WILL BE PASSED, AND REPUBLICANS WILL BE BLAMED. Elections, including the Midterms, will be rightfully brutal.” He further stated that if Republicans eliminated the filibuster, they would be able to smoothly approve their entire legislative agenda.
Although Senate Majority Leader John Thune opposes the idea, some Senate Republicans have come out in support of Trump’s view.
Senator Ron Johnson echoed Trump’s sentiment that Republicans should do away with the filibuster before a future Democratic Senate does, posting, “We KNOW Democrats will nuke the filibuster as soon as they’re able to solidify their grip on power. We should act first in order to pass laws that benefit the AMERICAN people.” Senator Tommy Tuberville also posted, “BLOW UP THE FILIBUSTER,” after previously expressing opposition.
Ending the filibuster would cut both ways, and opponents fear it would empower a future Democratic government by easing their ability to pass legislation. As mentioned by Sen. Johnson, though, this would be a moot point if a future Democratic Senate majority plans on ending the filibuster anyway. Democrats already attempted to weaken the filibuster when they controlled the Senate in 2021. Liberals have repeatedly argued that the Senate is undemocratic because it gives equal representation to small and large states. This appeal to majority rule is, of course, selective: liberals have never had a problem with attempting to implement their agenda through courts overruling majority opinion.
Ideally, we would have a Congress where lasting, consensus legislation improving the country passed on a regular basis. In the real world, though, there is a chance that a radicalized, emboldened Democratic Party will take over Congress in 2026. With 2002 being the one significant modern exception, midterm backlashes against the incumbent party are typical. Republicans may want to seize the opportunity they have now to deliver for the country, rather than tying their hands.
