While speaking with Meet The Press host Kristen Welker on Sunday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Republican senators are “on notice” that they should vote to end the filibuster if Democrats attempt to shut the government down again in the next several weeks.
President Trump had called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to end the measure — which requires 60 votes for most legislation to pass without the threat of filibuster, instead of a simple majority — during the Democrat-led shutdown last month. Thune has balked at the idea, however.
“I don’t doubt that he could have some sway with members. But I know where the math is on this issue in the Senate, and … it’s just not happening,” Thune said of Trump’s calls to end the filibuster on November 3.
With the threat of another shutdown looming in a few weeks, Bessent penned an op-ed in The Washington Post titled, “It’s Time To End The Filibuster,” in which he laid out the economic stakes of another Democrat-led shutdown.
“The American people are just now emerging from the longest and most devastating government shutdown in U.S. history,” the secretary wrote, emphasizing the economic toll including an $11 billion hit to GDP and 1.4 million furloughed workers. Bessent went on to argue that the crisis illustrates the filibuster’s role as a destructive tool at this point in time.
“And while the blame lies squarely with Senate Democrats, we cannot ignore the weapon they used to hold the country hostage: the legislative filibuster,” Bessent wrote.
He went on to urge immediate reform if Democrats repeat the tactic when funding deadlines approach next month, framing it as a necessary preemptive move from Senate Republicans. “In January, when spending considerations again come due, if Democrats once again choose to shut down the government, then Republicans should immediately end the filibuster,” the secretary argued.
The op-ed comes ahead of a potential January 30 funding deadline, when Democrats could once again shut the government down under the terms of the filibuster rule, as Republicans do not control 60 seats in the upper chamber. Under the terms of ending the previous shutdown, Republicans agreed to vote on Affordable Care Act (ACA) extensions that are set to expire under the terms of the Democrats’ own reconciliation bill under former President Biden.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has hinted that another shutdown could be coming if Democrats do not get their way.
During an appearance on “Meet The Press,” Bessent emphasized the points made in his op-ed and called for Republican senators to be put “on notice” ahead of another shutdown fight. “In the past, Leader Thune has said that it’s just not happening. There aren’t the votes. Mr. Secretary, do you believe that you have enough votes, that the president has enough votes to get rid of the filibuster?” Welker asked.
“Well, we will see come January 30th, because that’s the point of my editorial, is to put the Senate on notice that the Democrats kept the government shut down,” the secretary responded.
He went on to state that veteran left-wing political strategist Ezra Klein “took the mask off” in a recent piece with the New York Times. “He said, this wasn’t about healthcare. This was about ‘stopping totalitarianism,’” Bessent said of Klein’s editorial.
“The Democrats haven’t been able to stop President Trump in the courts. They haven’t been able to stop him in the media. So they had to harm the American people. 1.5 percent hit to the GDP, $11 billion permanent hit. They don’t care. So I believe that Senate Democrats, if they if Senate Democrats close the government again, that Senate Republicans should immediately abrogate the filibuster.”
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