Trump says 'It’s time to end the filibuster' amid looming government shutdown

WASHINTON, DC: President Donald Trump is calling for the Senate to end the filibuster in an effort to prevent future government shutdowns. 

Trump voiced his support for a plan from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to change Senate rules so that the minority party can no longer block major legislation.

Trump demands end to filibuster

President Trump on Friday, December 26, emphasized on Truth Social, "It’s time to end the filibuster." He highlighted an article by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who argued that the rule is being used to harm the country. 

Bessent wrote in The Washington Post, "The American people are just now emerging from the longest and most devastating government shutdown in US history." He said that while Democrats caused the shutdown, they were able to do it only because of "the weapon they used to hold the country hostage: the legislative filibuster."

Treasury Secretary Bessent blames filibuster for economic damage

Scott Bessent described requiring 60 votes to pass most laws as a "historical accident that has evolved into a standing veto for the minority and a license for paralysis."

He claimed the recent shutdown caused severe economic consequences, including $11 billion in permanent economic damage, an estimated 1.5 percentage point drop in GDP growth in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, 9,500 canceled flights, and the withholding of paychecks for 1.4 million federal workers. 

Bessent said that by using the filibuster, "Democrats inflicted tremendous harm on the nation," affecting everyday citizens and the overall economy.

GOP lawmakers resist Trump’s push to end filibuster

Bessent pointed out that the filibuster is not permanent and has been modified before. He cited that in 2013, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid removed the filibuster for presidential nominations other than Supreme Court justices. In 2017, Republicans did the same for Supreme Court nominations.

He added, “Each side justified its move as a response to unprecedented obstruction by the other. And each time, the Senate survived. The Republic did not fall." 

Despite this, many Republican senators have resisted changes. Senator John Kennedy told Trump he would not support ending the filibuster, later telling reporters, "I doubt we’re going to change the filibuster or the blue slip while we’re in charge during your or my natural lifetime."