President Donald Trump is urging Senate Republicans to permanently eliminate the filibuster in order to end the government shutdown and advance his legislative agenda.
"WE WILL GET ALL OF OUR COMMON SENSE POLICIES APPROVED (VOTER ID, ANYONE?) AND MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" the president said on Truth Social.
Republicans have so far resisted eliminating the filibuster, a Senate rule that effectively requires 60 votes to advance most legislation, a threshold designed to force bipartisan cooperation.
The government shutdown has now stretched for more than a month and is on pace to become the longest in U.S. history this week.
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The standoff centers on health care. Republicans want to reopen the government before negotiating on health care, while Democrats are pushing for protections tied to expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies. Without extending expanded tax credits, monthly premiums could increase by an average of 114%, according to the health research group KFF.
Trump defended his position during an interview with “60 Minutes” on Sunday, calling the Affordable Care Act “terrible” but saying Washington could fix it once the government reopens.
“I’m not going to do it by being extorted by the Democrats who have lost their way,” Trump said. “There’s something wrong with these people.”
Meanwhile, the shutdown continues to ripple across the country. Federal workers are going without pay, airports are reporting increased delays and cancellations tied to staffing shortages, and a lapse in funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has affected millions of Americans.
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