Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Monday there’s not enough support among Republican senators to eliminate the filibuster as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure to change the chamber’s rules to allow the simple-majority passage of legislation.
“The votes aren’t there,” Thune told reporters.
Thune said he had spoken to Trump about the issue — he didn’t specify when — and questioned whether his campaign against the filibuster should come as a surprise.
Trump, during his first term as president, repeatedly pushed for Republicans to nix the 60-vote threshold for most legislation. But he renewed his call late last week as the government shutdown entered its fifth week, with Senate Democrats still opposed to a House-passed stopgap spending bill.
GOP senators and senior Republican aides quickly batted down Trump’s demand. But the president continued pushing over the weekend on social media and an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes.”
“TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER, NOT JUST FOR THE SHUTDOWN, BUT FOR EVERYTHING ELSE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.