Senate GOP Mull Filibuster Reform To End Shutdown

As Democrats continue to dig in their heels over Obamacare, Senate Republicans are now considering changing the filibuster’s rules to end the shutdown. 

“Nobody talked about filibuster two weeks ago. Now that we see that the Democrats are just not going to agree to anything, then that’s probably a viable option,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) told The Hill. “I don’t know the answer to this. I don’t think anybody does because they’re not going to give; we’re not going to give. So it’s going to be a stalemate, and the loser is going to be the American people.”

Tuberville notably defended keeping the filibuster after Republicans won control of the Senate in last year’s election, while other GOP senators are predicting that President Trump will start pressuring Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to change the Senate rules if the shutdown continues into next month – a move Thune has explicitly said he opposes. 

“I think the pressure from the White House will become pretty enormous,” one GOP senator told the outlet. “We’re reaching a point here where the SNAP benefits start going down, the military – pretty soon [the president] isn’t going to have enough money to pay them. We’re going to reach a point where people are literally not able to buy food,” the senator continued, referring to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) winding down, along with the military eventually going without pay.

“We’re going to reach a point where people are literally not able to buy food,” the senator continued, adding “There’s going to come a breaking point. Filibuster reform means all kinds of different things. It could be a talking filibuster.” 

“The longer this goes on and the more intransigent the Democrats are, I think they’re inviting a conversation about, ‘Are there steps we can take here?“

“If this goes past Nov. 1, I think the mood is really going to turn in the country in a big way,” they continued. 

According to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Republicans want to preserve the 60-vote threshold for passing legislation, but admitted they were looking into the “possibility” of a carve-out to end the shutdown.

“It’s something Republicans don’t want to do,” he said. 

That said, “There’s a certain comity here, there’s a way of getting along. That’s just been busted by the Democrats, time and time again,” Johnson argued – accusing Democrats of trying to undermine Trump. 

Thune, as noted, is opposed to weakening or eliminating the filibuster – something he vowed to maintain when he ran against Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Rick Scott (R-FL) for majority leader in November – telling reporters that getting rid of the rule to end the shutdown would be a “bad idea.” 

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said she’s opposed to changing the rule, but will review any plan to reopen the government even if it includes reforms. 

Asked about this ‘nuclear option,’ Collins replied: “I know that that is being discussed,” adding “I am a strong supporter of the filibuster, but obviously I’ll look at any plan that anyone puts out in order to reopen government.”

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-O) said all “options” need to be on the table if the shutdown drags on for weeks longer.

He noted Senate Republicans changed the Senate rules to confirm lower-level executive branch nominees en bloc after Democrats slow-walked more than 140 of Trump’s nominees, refusing to confirm a single civilian nominee by voice vote or unanimous consent to save time.

“I’d just say to the Democrats, ‘Listen, you saw what happened when we had to change the nominations rule to overcome their unprecedented obstruction,’” he said.

“At a certain point, the pain becomes so severe on working people that all options may be on the table,” he warned. “At a certain point, people have to be able to go to the VA and get health care. They have to. People have to be able to get their food stamp benefits. They won’t be able to live.” -The Hill

Meanwhile, the Senate is slated to vote today on the House-passed funding bill. The vote is likely to fail (again), while House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) will once again each host pressers to call each other unreasonable.