Trump Urges GOP to Scrap Filibuster on Truth Social

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social urging Senate Republicans to "initiate the 'nuclear option'" and eliminate the Senate filibuster, a move he said he weighed on his flight home from an Asia trip. Abolishing the filibuster would lower the threshold from 60 votes to a simple majority, allowing the GOP's 53-seat Senate caucus to pass spending measures and potentially end the government shutdown without Democratic support. Some Republican senators, including Josh Hawley, Tommy Tuberville and Bernie Moreno, have signaled openness to scrapping the rule, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other GOP leaders have resisted. Critics and progressive voices warn that eliminating the filibuster would permanently reshape Senate norms, hand Republicans sweeping power, and force them to "own" consequences such as lapses in healthcare premium subsidies or SNAP funding. The shutdown's effects — from reduced consumer spending and travel disruptions to threats to food and heating aid — are intensifying pressure for a resolution, but it remains uncertain whether Senate Republicans will follow Trump's directive.