McEnany Urges GOP to Dismiss Filibuster on Spending Bill

On Thursday, former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany urged Republicans to lift the filibuster concerning the current spending bill. Her call came shortly after President Donald Trump, on Truth Social, requested that the Senate filibuster be eliminated to resolve the ongoing government shutdown. However, this suggestion seems unlikely to receive support from Republican senators, many of whom are against repealing the 60-vote requirement.

During a discussion on “The Five,” McEnany articulated her stance that Republicans should push past the filibuster when it comes to funding bills. “I propose a very simple solution: The filibuster isn’t in the Constitution. It wasn’t established through legislation. It can be bypassed for spending bills. We just need to break it to fund the government,” she stated. She further emphasized that when military personnel are affected and public safety is compromised, it’s time for Democrats to reconsider their use of the filibuster.

McEnany expressed her concern that no one benefits from the ongoing shutdown, criticizing Democrats for not backing military and essential workers despite having opportunities to provide support. “Let me put it really simply: No one wins. Not Republicans or Democrats. It’s a loss when service members struggle to pay bills, or when air traffic controllers are in distress over unpaid wages,” she said. “We’re all losing. And why? Because Democrats missed the chance to pay military personnel. Why not open the government and ensure our military gets paid?”

She pointed out that only three Democrats supported funding military personnel—John Fetterman, Raphael Warnock, and Jon Ossoff. “Just three votes. Now John Kennedy is suggesting a vote to waive pay until the military is compensated. I’m curious to see how many Democrats will back that,” she remarked.

On the other hand, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats have invoked the filibuster 14 times to block bipartisan spending measures from the House. While Republicans could potentially resolve the shutdown by abolishing the 60-vote rule, most GOP senators are against such changes and have turned down calls to remove the filibuster. Utah Sen. John Curtis underscored that the filibuster compels senators to seek common ground, asserting, “Power may shift, but principles should not.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson also shared the drawbacks of doing away with the filibuster, stating, “The filibuster has historically been viewed as crucial protection. I doubt people would be in favor if the situation were reversed.”