The President declared that Republican leaders needed to abolish the enduring Senate rule which mandates 60 votes for the passage of most legislation.
In a post late at night on social media, President Trump urged Senate Republicans to get rid of the filibuster as a means to forcibly end the current government shutdown, which would mean discarding a deeply established Senate procedural rule.
The President asserted that it was time for Republican leaders “to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’” and remove the long-standing requirement for most Senate legislation to secure 60 votes for approval.
This month, the Democrats have consistently prevented a funding bill for the government from passing, arguing that subsidies linked to the Affordable Care Act, which are set to expire, must be reinstated.
Republican leaders in the Senate have demonstrated resistance to further altering the filibuster. Although both political parties have attempted to weaken the filibuster in recent times, they have stopped short of full elimination. A major concern among many Republicans is that utilizing the “nuclear option” to change the rule could negatively impact them if the Democrats eventually take back control of Congress.
Earlier in the month, Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) and the majority leader, rejected the notion of changing the filibuster to resolve the shutdown, noting that he had not been pressured by the White House to do so.
The President issued his demand at a time when funding cuts for antipoverty programs were imminent and consumers purchasing plans through the federal health insurance marketplace were anticipate significant price hikes.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________Source:- NYTIMES
