Senate GOP Has Made Their Decision on Whether They'll Nuke the Filibuster

I want to eliminate the filibuster because the Democrats cannot be trusted to make deals on anything. That’s the point: the fewer issues the GOP can promote to their voters, the better. I want it gone. I support the passage of the Save America Act, and ending the filibuster is the only way to achieve that. Removing it would allow us to pass more tax cuts for working families and various MAGA agenda items that are currently blocked by the 60-vote rule. However, it’s unlikely to happen. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) has issued a directive—clearly telling members to stop talking about it (via Daily Signal):

Senate Majority Leader John Thune encouraged senators to stop talking about President Donald Trump’s stated priority of nuking the filibuster, according to two sources familiar with the matter. 

After a few moderates at the Senate’s Wednesday steering lunch urged the Republican conference not to talk about nuking the filibusteropens in a new tab, Thune agreed that the move lacks the necessary support in the current conference, the sources said. 

Thune clearly seemed to agree with the members asking their colleagues to stop discussing it, the sources said. 

Trump has repeatedly demanded that Republicans eliminate the filibuster to require only a simple majority vote to pass key agenda items, instead of needing the customary 60 votes to end debate. His agenda includes the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to vote in federal elections, as well as funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

 

Some in the Republican caucus remain firmly opposed to eliminating the filibuster, while others are warming up to the idea. 

“By ending the filibuster now, Republicans could pass important legislation that the public overwhelmingly supports, but Democrats oppose,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., wrote in The Wall Steet Journal opens in a new tab in March.

“My fellow conservatives and I have proudly used the 60-vote threshold to protect the country from all sorts of bad ideas and dangerous policies,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, wrote in a March 11 opinion article for the New York Post. “But when the reality on the ground changes, leaders must take stock and adapt.”

Democrats continue to excel at maximizing their power to advance their agenda. Republicans stay dedicated to the belief that their principles will earn them favor with Democrats and voters.

 It’s pure idiocy. 

Not passing the Save America Act is almost as unforgivable as pressing pause on the border wall.