Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was opposed to revising the filibuster rule so that only a simple majority – fifty-one votes – would be necessary to pass legislation, such as the bill that’s responsible for the current government shutdown. The current rule requires sixty votes to break a filibuster.
President Trump had called for a change in the rule earlier in the day on Twitter. “If stalemate continues, Republicans should go to 51%…and vote on…long term budget…” the president wrote.
Great to see how hard Republicans are fighting for our Military and Safety at the Border. The Dems just want illegal immigrants to pour into our nation unchecked. If stalemate continues, Republicans should go to 51% (Nuclear Option) and vote on real, long term budget, no C.R.’s!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2018
A spokesman for McConnell said later in the day, the “Republican Conference opposes changing the rules on legislation.”
The issue has come up because the spending bill that would have funded the government until February 16 failed to garner enough votes to pass out of the Senate. The bill failed mainly along party lines, although a handful of Republicans did vote against the bill. A second vote on the bill is scheduled for 1 a.m. Monday morning.