US Politics

Johnson warns against Trump’s demand for Senate to go ‘nuclear’ to end shutdown

By Eric October 31, 2025

In a recent press conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., addressed former President Donald Trump’s call for the Senate to utilize the “nuclear option” to eliminate the filibuster and expedite the passage of federal funding legislation. This demand comes amid a prolonged government shutdown, which has now entered its 31st day, largely due to Senate Democrats blocking Republican efforts to advance a short-term funding bill. Trump expressed his frustrations on Truth Social, urging Republicans to discard the filibuster, which requires a 60-vote threshold to overcome, and instead push through legislation with a simple majority. Johnson, however, cautioned against such a move, emphasizing that the filibuster serves as a crucial safeguard against extreme policy shifts that could arise from either party wielding unchecked power.

Johnson reiterated that while he understands Trump’s frustrations, the decision to modify the filibuster is ultimately a matter for the Senate, not the House. He pointed out the potential consequences of eliminating this legislative tool, warning that Democrats could exploit such a change to advance their own progressive agenda, including controversial measures like court packing and gun control legislation. Johnson’s comments reflect a broader concern among Republicans about losing the filibuster, which has historically been seen as a mechanism to protect minority party rights and promote bipartisan cooperation. He emphasized that if the roles were reversed, Republicans would likely oppose such a significant alteration to Senate rules.

The backdrop of this debate is the ongoing government shutdown, which has prompted escalating tensions within Congress. The Senate’s inability to advance GOP funding proposals has left many federal operations in limbo, exacerbating public frustration. Trump’s call for the nuclear option highlights the urgency felt by some within the GOP to resolve the impasse, but the likelihood of Senate Republicans taking such drastic action appears slim. Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s office reaffirmed the importance of the legislative filibuster, suggesting that any immediate changes to this longstanding Senate tradition are unlikely. As the deadlock continues, both parties are under pressure to find a resolution that addresses the funding crisis while navigating the complexities of Senate rules and partisan dynamics.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., warned against President
Donald Trump’s
demand for the Senate to invoke the “nuclear option” to end the government shutdown.
Johnson was asked during his Friday press conference about a late-night Truth Social post in which Trump demanded the Senate get rid of the filibuster and its 60-vote threshold to ram through the GOP’s federal funding bill by a simple majority.
“Look, I’ll just say this in general, as I’ve said many times about the filibuster, it’s not my call. I don’t have a say in this. It’s a Senate chamber issue,” Johnson said. “But the filibuster has traditionally been viewed as a very important safeguard. If the shoe was on the other foot, I don’t think our team would like it.”
Sixty votes are required in the Senate to overcome a filibuster and proceed with debate and a final vote on most pieces of legislation. Senate Democrats attempted to get rid of it when they last held the majority in order to pass reforms that they accused Republicans of blocking, but they were blocked by more moderate members of their own party.
JOHNSON TURNS UP SHUTDOWN PRESSURE ON DEMOCRATS AS GOP UNEASE GROWS
If Republicans successfully got rid of it now with a move colloquially known as the “nuclear option,” Johnson warned Democrats would then use that standard in the future to pass progressive policies while sidelining the GOP.
“The Democrats, look, they’ve said what they would do. They would pack the Supreme Court. They would make Puerto Rico and D.C. states. They would ban firearms. They would do all sorts of things that would be very harmful for the country, and the safeguard in the Senate has always been the filibuster,” Johnson said. “But again, not my issue, not something I get to even weigh in on.”
The shutdown is in its 31st day after Senate Democrats blocked the GOP from advancing its short-term federal funding bill 13 times since Sept. 19.
At the current tallies, five more Senate Democrats are needed to vote with Republicans to overcome the filibuster.
TRUMP URGES GOP TO ‘END THE SHUTDOWN’ BY GOING NUCLEAR ON SENATE FILIBUSTER
Trump, apparently fed up with the impasse, posted late on Thursday night, “It is now time for the Republicans to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’ and go for what is called the Nuclear Option — Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!”
“Just a short while ago, the Democrats, while in power, fought for three years to do this, but were unable to pull it off because of Senators Joe Manchin of
West Virginia
and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. Never have the Democrats fought so hard to do something because they knew the tremendous strength that terminating the Filibuster would give them,” Trump wrote.
“Well, now WE are in power, and if we did what we should be doing, it would IMMEDIATELY end this ridiculous, Country destroying ‘SHUT DOWN.’ If the Democrats ever came back into power, which would be made easier for them if the Republicans are not using the Great Strength and Policies made available to us by ending the Filibuster, the Democrats will exercise their rights, and it will be done in the first day they take office, regardless of whether or not we do it.”
Johnson said he interpreted it as Trump expressing his frustration with the situation.
“What you’re seeing is an expression of the president’s anger at the situation. He is as angry as I am, and the American people are, about this madness,” Johnson said. “He just desperately wants the government to be reopened so that all these resources can flow to the people who need it so much.”
While the Senate GOP
went nuclear once
already this year to approve Trump’s nominees, the likelihood that they do it again, especially to gut the filibuster, is low.
“[Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s] position on the importance of the legislative filibuster is unchanged,” Thune’s spokesperson Ryan Wrasse said in a statement.