ROG62 » 26 Oct 2025, 3:06 pm » wrote: ↑
What was once a far-fetched fear is now looking increasingly plausible, even likely: That Senate Republicans will blow up the filibuster to end the government shutdown.
This would be the ultimate nuclear option, toppling the last major hurdle to single party rule in Washington.
By removing the 60-vote threshold for most Senate votes, the current Republican majority — and any future Senate majority of either party — would be empowered to ram its agenda through without so much as consulting the other party.
Despite the dangers, Republicans are openly entertaining it. Sen.
Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)
said last week that he is “not willing to see children in my state go hungry … over some Senate procedure.” And Sen.
Rick Scott (R-Fla.)
said of ending the filibuster, “If we can’t get anything done, that’s what [Democrats] are gonna force.”
There are three reasons this scenario is becoming more likely.
First, Democrats have no leverage. In any negotiation, leverage only exists when the other side wants something, and President Trump doesn’t place a high value on reopening the government. To him, the shutdown is an opportunity to act unilaterally, fire government workers, and save money. That’s why he has said he won’t even negotiate until Democrats pass a continuing resolution to end the shutdown.
Second, Democratic leaders view backing down as politically impossible. The far left already sees them as incapable of standing up to Trump, and they cannot bear the perception of losing this standoff right as midterm season kicks off. This is why Senate Minority Leader
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has broken with longstanding practice by refusing to accept a clean continuing resolution, potentially creating the very conditions that bring about his worst nightmare: Republicans ending the shutdown on their terms.
Third, the real-world impacts of the shutdown are about to get worse. State and local programs like food assistance and public health clinics will begin to shutter. The broader economy will suffer. And with the issue of Affordable Care Act subsidies unresolved, millions will see higher premiums or disrupted coverage just as open enrollment begins.
As this happens, public pressure on the Senate will escalate, and the nuclear option may feel like the path of least resistance for Republican leaders.
https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-bl ... ar-option/
put 'em down for the count...