Senate Majority Leader Thune at Odds with Trump Over Filibuster

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is gearing up for a potential confrontation with President Donald Trump regarding the repeal of a long-standing legislative rule intended to resolve the ongoing government shutdown, which has dragged on for 36 days.

On their first day in office, Republicans asserted that they remain steadfast in maintaining the Senate’s 60-vote requirement to end the shutdown. Thune and other leaders emphasized that using a simple majority to pass most legislation would pave the way for Democrats to push through progressive policies when they regain power. Thune also stated that Republicans currently lack the votes to eliminate the filibuster.

“The reality is… we just don’t have enough votes in the Senate, and we’re not even close to it,” Thune commented during an interview.

Thune mentioned he had just come from a breakfast meeting with Trump and fellow Republican lawmakers, where Trump urged them to abandon procedural rules to reopen the government. Trump argued that lifting the filibuster could empower Republicans to push through legislation like never before, although the midterm election results earlier this week were not particularly promising.

Although Thune didn’t directly address the president’s comments at the meeting, he indicated that he and Trump have discussed the filibuster multiple times in recent weeks. Thune expressed concern that eliminating this procedural tool could favor Democrats and facilitate their agenda if they regain dominance, particularly regarding issues like court packing and election regulations.

He recognized the tension surrounding the government shutdown. The Democratic majority has blocked bipartisan spending bills intended to fund the government numerous times since late September, and removing the filibuster would enable Senate Republicans to fund the government without needing Democratic support.

Thune remarked, “These people are not going to do anything I want to do, even if it’s in their own interest, because of their blind hatred for the president and his administration.” Nevertheless, he maintained that bypassing the filibuster to resolve the specific issue of government funding might not be the best solution. He fears that doing so for one bill could lead to broader consequences for all legislation down the line, saying, “When the door opens, the horse comes out of the barn.”

Despite Trump’s insistence on weakening the filibuster, many Republican senators seem to agree with Thune’s assessment that they lack the necessary support. Former North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis noted that basic math indicates that with more than 15 senators opposed, any attempt to change the rules is unlikely to succeed.

Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno commented, “I don’t think there will be a vote,” and hinted that it would be interesting to see how Democrats would respond to any such initiative. In the past, many Senate Democrats tried to weaken the filibuster to pass the Voting Rights Act but faced opposition from Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.

Thune indicated that Manchin and Sinema privately mentioned that other Democrats were also against eliminating the filibuster due to fear of backlash within the party. He expressed that while many Democrats would likely resist changing the filibuster rules, it might create a divide when they eventually regain control of the Senate.

Trump seemed to recognize on Wednesday that he might not have enough support within the Republican ranks to modify the filibuster. “I’m going to follow your wishes. You’re all very smart people. We’re good friends,” Trump stated, cautioning that undermining the filibuster could be a grave error.