So, will it be the nuclear option to end the shutdown?
I don’t see the Democrats capitulating and ending the shutdown. They seem to have boxed themselves into a corner.
Trump is all for Senate Republicans invoking the so-called nuclear option:
“Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!’” Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social.
In a separate post, he wrote, “THE CHOICE IS CLEAR — INITIATE THE “NUCLEAR OPTION,” GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER AND, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
There is no question in my mind that the Democrats would end it themselves in the future, when and if they get control of the Senate, and if they have the votes for it and need it to pass something they consider important. The only reason it did not happen already during the Biden administration was the presence of two Democrat “no” votes in the persons of Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. They’re gone from the Senate now and I think we can be pretty sure they won’t be returning, so the only Democrat I can see blocking the nuclear option in the future would be – perhaps – John Fetterman.
So, should the Republicans vote to be able to end the shutdown by a simple majority? I’m not sure that they presently have the votes to do it. In fact, I think they don’t have the votes to do it – there’s Collins and Murkowski and Tillis, for example. Only Thune knows if they do, and although he hasn’t revealed the head count, he seems to be saying “no”.
Johnson – who really has no say, being in the House – likewise isn’t in favor.
Another thought I have is that the Republicans seem to have gained support during the shutdown rather than lost it. That might make them less-than-eager to use the nuclear option to end it, at least not yet.
Isn’t this CR they have voted on 13 times only to fund the government through November 21?
Are we going to go through this all again in a few weeks if they pass the CR soon?
I had hoped Trump was going to keep firing government employees until the Democrats said uncle.
End the shutdown or the Dept of X gets it!
Who’s yer uncle?
> I had hoped Trump was going to keep firing government employees until the Democrats said uncle.
I hope he revokes their badges and then removes their accounts and personal files.
It’s better to seek forgiveness than permission.
I could see, actually, eliminating it for basic funding bills. This dance is nonsense.
The standard negotiating ploy when your opponent has boxed himself in is to provide a face-saving way out. Not by capitulating, but with some symbolic or minor thing that allows them out of the box. Not sure what that would be here, but Thune or Johnson should be able to come up with something inconsequential but face-saving.
I wonder if the Republicans have also painted themselves into a corner. SNAP has ended, air traffic controllers are working without pay, and the Dems are saying it’s GOP’s fault, because GOP controls the government.
GOP says “But we don’t control the government, because we need 60 votes, except when we don’t.” Congress seems to rely on arcane rules to conceal what they are doing from the general public.
Of course, the Democrat media will blame the GOP. And as mentioned above, the CR is for only 20 days.
This is a $hit-show!
A commenter recently made the same suggestion as Kate on one of the townhall sites. I think that that limited exception is probably the optimal solution.
So, should the Republicans vote to be able to end the shutdown by a simple majority? I’m not sure that they presently have the votes to do it.
The Republicans have a majority. They have set aside the filibuster several times this year, most recently in October (I think people are finally catching on that the real threshold is only 51). If they having 53 Senators “don’t have the votes” it means this is a Republican shutdown.
They need 50 votes plus Vance. That means three Rs can defect if no D’s join. “Collins and Murkowski and Tillis” are three. There is therefore at least one other Republican holding out and the leadership doesn’t want to give him what he or she wants.
Niketas:
There are others – it’s discussed in the link in my post on “seems to be saying ‘no'”.
Right now I’m thinking that if they put ending daylight saving time into the CR, it would pass 99-1.
@neo:There are others
The more “mavericks” there are, the MORE true it is that the Senate GOP collectively does not want to end the shutdown. They have the collective power to do it, but they are collectively choosing not to do it. I’m not in the meetings in the smoke-filled rooms so I can’t tell you who is holding out or why, but because I can count to 51 I can see that’s what it is.
And the more often they can agree to set aside the filibuster for less important things, the more obviously theater this becomes. The accountability lies with the GOP Senate leadership. There is some reason they are not doing whatever it is would be needed to secure 50 votes plus Vance for the CR. It’s not like the known holdouts are known for high and consistent principles, after all.
Niketas:
As I wrote in my post, the shutdown is hurting Democrats, so there isn’t all that much motivation for the GOP to end it.
@neo:the shutdown is hurting Democrats
So far. Eventually it will hurt GOP clients and interest groups.
there isn’t all that much motivation for the GOP to end it.
Yes, agreed. But they can end it at any time. I’m expecting a new pork-laden CR which they might set aside the filibuster for, that’s my guess for why they haven’t done it yet, but I’m pretty cynical about Congress.
Dems: End the shutdown or the Dept of X gets it in the headcount!