Trump urges Republicans to ditch filibuster rule in US Senate | Donald Trump
Donald Trump has floated the idea of ending the filibuster, a procedural technique in Congress that allows a small number of senators to block the passage of legislation; This will make it easier to implement his political agenda in 2026.
In an interview with PolicyThe president has urged Senate Republicans to set aside the filibuster, saying it has become an impediment to effective governance and that removing it would prevent another government shutdown and clear the way for his party to carry out its legislative priorities.
“The filibuster is hurting the Republican Party,” Trump told Politico. He called on Republican lawmakers to eliminate it “without question.”
“If you get rid of the filibuster, you won’t have a shutdown,” Trump added. “You can do anything. If you get rid of banditry, you can have great health care. We can do anything we want.”
The occult-sounding act of repealing legislation is sometimes favored by the party with the majority in the Senate, while the other party opposes it because it allows them to use their minority status to block the passage of legislation.
Senators often back down to kill the proposal because they don’t want to be crushed by a simple majority when the balance of power shifts again. Centrists in both parties generally oppose ending the filibuster as a way to defend against partisan political extremes.
There is a more immediate purpose for Trump to raise the issue, which includes requiring voters to show identification to advance the Republican agenda 10 months before the midterm elections: to prevent another government shutdown.
“If you get rid of the bandit, you won’t have a shutdown,” he told the outlet.
Republicans currently hold 53 seats in the Senate and Democrats 47, giving them no chance of losing members and passing bills with a simple majority. Trump had previously called on his party in the Senate to end the filibuster in October so Republicans could reopen the government without Democratic support.
Republicans’ failure to take up the challenge led to a long dispute with Democrats over health care costs and paralyzed the government in a 43-day shutdown. But increasing time pressure for the incumbent president to advance his legislative agenda could change the calculus.
Trump told Politico that he believes the midterm elections will focus on “pricing,” an alternative to the term “affordability” that Democrats think is a “hype.” Both terms mean the same thing.
He said he was confident Americans would receptive to his message: He is picking up the economic mess he inherited from Joe Biden.
“I think it’s going to be about the success of our country. It’s going to be about pricing,” Trump told Politico. “Because, you know, they gave us a high price, so we’re lowering it.”
The comments follow two positive economic reports showing inflation is cooling and the economy is growing faster than economists expected. But surveys also show that American consumers feel economically insecure and pessimistic.
